


In Ares We Trust

by Light_Beyond_Nemesis



Series: The Inner Circle: Time and Again [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dragon Age: Inquisition - AU, F/M, Gen, M/M, Modern Inner Circle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-03-20 05:45:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13711113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Light_Beyond_Nemesis/pseuds/Light_Beyond_Nemesis
Summary: The Inner Circle gang find themselves no longer in the Thedas they once knew, all courtesy of a very crafty God of War.





	1. The Thedosian Dream

**Author's Note:**

> This is a direct continuation of “Beauty and the Bull”, part one of The Inner Circle: Time and Again series. For clarity purposes, it's highly recommended that anyone who hasn't read part one to please do so. “In Ares We Trust” will continuously be referencing instances, elements, and even flashbacks from it.

He stretched and yawned, his huge, chiseled gray body flexing on the mattress. One hand roamed down for a junk-shift, gripping lightly at his sizable, currently flaccid manhood. He lifted and dropped it so it rested more atop his left thigh. After a moment, he opened his single eye and smiled at the ceiling.

Saturday. Off-day. He’d have tomorrow off too. Perks of being the Chief Financial Officer at the firm.

The great Qunari sat up, swung his long legs over the side of the bed, and stood, easing into another refreshing stretch. The clock on the nightstand revealed it was just after nine. Ah, felt good to sleep in, seeing as he was up at five Monday thru Friday. But still, he loved his job. Loved his family and his life. Things were _very_ good.

He moved from the spacious bedroom to the adjoining bathroom, feet smacking the floor on his way to the toilet. He lifted the seat and took a leak. Then he went to the double sinks before the long wall mirror and washed his hands. He splashed some water on his face, swiping at it. Once he dried his face on a towel, his eye fixed on the reflection staring back at him.

F.E. Taurus (Starring Iron Bull) smiled a bit, scratching at the stubble that had formed in the course of a day. F.E. was short for Finn Esaam, and well, Taurus was the family name. He studied himself—the black-inked tattoos on his torso and arms, gained during his college years. In this reality, the multitude of battle scars didn’t exist, though he did have two or three from just being a boy and doing stupid things. The pale slashes over his left eye came from a boating accident when he was sixteen, which had cost him the eye. But the good Lord Ares saw fit to give him two, so he couldn’t complain.

He picked up the jar of horn balm flanking his sink, eyeing his wife’s sink area with amusement. There were a few creams, lotions, and other beauty products set up neatly. He chuckled and applied balm to his majestic set of horns; he did this every week or so to keep them from getting dry. He also took his weekly dosage of dhaya. He and the little lady weren’t ready for another baby just yet. After brushing his teeth, Finn slipped back into the bedroom, pulled on a pair of sweat pants, a t-shirt, and his eyepatch, then headed downstairs.

Even as he moved through the spacious five-bedroom house, he could hear the brood downstairs, the screams and laughter of young voices. Down the curve of wooden stairs to the first floor. He eased right, towards the back of the house to the kitchen. The halls were wide apart, which they had to be to accommodate him and a family of half-Qunari children, though there were some nicked places down low where one of the younger children, most likely Kitt, had dragged her little horns. He took a step and winced, hopping on one foot for a moment.

“Damn Legos…” It was a purple block, part of Kitt’s Doc McStuffins building set.

Finn entered the open floor-space that combined a huge kitchen with the family room area. Across the way, a run of windows revealed a sizable, fenced-in backyard strewn with toys. A few trees spotted the yard, the largest of which had been converted into a treehouse fort. Neighboring homes were also visible beyond the bounds of the tall fence.

The handsome Qunari took a moment to admire his family. There was fourteen-year-old (nearly fifteen) Finn Junior, who was mostly referred to as F.J. He was the oldest and the spitting image of his father–same horn shape and arrangement, though not as large as Finn’s just yet, big and tall for his age, and handsome. He had very curly, dark hair that he kept short and neat. He sat on one of the couches before the 60-inch flat Curve-TV with some music video playing, though he was smiling and texting away on his phone.

The second child was twelve-year-old Adaku. Somewhat petite like her mother, she had a set of short, twisting horns that eased back along her head. Her hair was wavy, shoulder-length, and dark, the color Finn’s would be if he’d ever grown any on his head. Ada was very smart and stuck to her books. Finn figured she’d be a doctor, scientist, or something like that. It was _Saturday_ , for Ares’s sake, and the girl sat at the table reading a Physics book. She made him very proud, as all his brood did. The father grinned.

Child number three was six-year-old Kitt. Kitt’s goal in life right now was to be a “pretty, pretty princess”, and she was well on her way, running around the living room wearing one of the frilly costume dresses she owned over her pajamas. The girl’s long, white hair formed a poofy cascade over her shoulders, down her back. Aside from the horns jutting from her head, very miniature versions of Finn’s horns, she looked nearly exactly like her mother.

The fourth and last child, at least for the moment, was Darr. He was a year and a half old, and the nubs on the sides of his head had recently begun to bud, starting the growth of his double set of horns. Like F.J.’s, his hair was dark, growing in a wavy tuft on his little head. The toddler blared with laughter, doing his awkward run around the family room in an attempt to keep up with Kitt.

Finn drew in a content breath, deepening his smile at Ariel (Starring Ayla) where she stood at the island tending to another batch of pancakes on the griddle. There were about a dozen on the serving plate in the oven already. She wore a thin robe over her pajamas, her fluffy hair secured up and back in a messy bun.

Finn crept behind her, hugging her close. “Mm…good morning, beautiful.”

Ariel smiled and turned her head to catch his kiss. “Did we wake you, sweetheart? I told Kitt to keep it down because daddy was sleeping.”

“No, she’s just fine. Besides, I got more than enough sleep, which I definitely needed after the way you jumped on me last night,” he groaned lowly, nuzzling her ear and neck.

“Oh my _god_. Get a room,” Adaku rolled her eyes, then dragged them back to her book.

“Behave yourself.” Ariel grinned, playfully elbowing his middle.

Finn released a soft chuckle, holding her tighter to him, face buried in her hair. He loved her and the kids so much; they were his everything. He knew that his desire to have a large family came from his own upbringing in the Qun. In this alternate existence, the Qun was very different. It was still a close-knit community of Qunari, Humans, Elves, and Dwarves, but it also condoned marriage and relationships. The Qun in this world contained large amounts of polygamy, seen as a spread-the-love-community, though there were plenty of monogamous couples as well. Like all others in Thedas, they worshipped Ares as the One True God. Finn spent the first half of his life in a Qun colony, on a farm. His father had two wives–Finn’s mother and a sister-wife. Between the three of them, they had seventeen children, and Finn was the third-born. This was the reason the man enjoyed children so much, why he was so comfortable and patient with them. He’d grown up in a household _full_ of them, having helped take care of his fourteen younger siblings.

Finn left the Qun when he was twenty-two, and not because he hated his life. He had a wonderful childhood, never needed for anything and had most of the things he wanted. That’s the way it worked in the Qun; the community gained wealth because everyone not only did their job but took care of each other. No, things had been good there. The reason Finn decided to leave was because he couldn’t see himself like his parents and his friends’ parents, married to multiple people. He ultimately saw himself with just one person, male or female. As it were, he ended up falling in love with Ariel when he was twenty-five and she was seventeen. They both knew from the moment they met that they wanted to be together, the relationship had formed so easily.

Finn stopped taking his dhaya juice a couple of weeks after they got together. She got pregnant a few months before her eighteenth birthday, finishing up high school while pregnant with Finn Junior. Ariel was able to keep the pregnancy secret until her birthday, upon which she announced it. Mr. and Mrs. Inallo were less than ecstatic, as they believed Finn was too old for her, though a person became an adult legally at age sixteen. They eventually grew to accept him, knowing that his love for their daughter was true and he would take very good care of her. Two weeks after that, they were married, and had been for nearly fifteen years.

“Daddy!” Kitt ran over, and Finn lifted her for a kiss.

“Morning, princess.” The Qunari grinned.

“Wanna play dolls with me? I can have the tea set ready in five minutes!” Kitt beamed, a slim arm around her daddy’s neck.

“Well…that sounds good…”

“Kitt honey, daddy just got up,” Ariel said, flipping pancakes. “Let him get settled and have breakfast, okay?”

The child pouted. “Oh, alright.”

Finn laughed deeply and kissed her cheek. “Flip that frown. After we eat, I’ll play with you, eh?” There was barely time to interact with his kids during the week. Twelve-plus-hour days would wear anyone out. Weekends, however, were all about the family. He looked forward to spending time with them.

“Okay!”

He set her down, and she ran off to play some more.

Finn dropped on the couch beside F.J., and little Darr tumble-walked over to climb in his father’s lap. The Qunari laughed and bounced him a few times, then addressed his oldest. “What you got planned for today, son?”

“Huh?” F.J.’s thumbs raced over the touchscreen of his phone, finishing up a text. His sky-blue eyes turned to Finn, and he smiled. “Oh, nothing much, pop. Going to the mall to meet up with Luke and Ketak a little later.”

Finn nodded. “Nice. I could drive you, if you want.”

“Nah. I’m good. I’ll just ride my bike.”

“What? You embarrassed to be seen with your old man?” Finn churned a rich, throaty chuckle.

“No, I just…”

“He’s stalking Nazlie Ozishok,” Adaku quipped, grinning up from her book.

“What! No, I’m not! Stay on your side of the room, nerd.”

“Nazlie Ozishok? Who’s she?” Finn pressed, brow lifting at his son, who had begun to blush.

“She’s just a girl from school, that’s all,” Finn Junior answered, shrugging. But she wasn’t just some girl. She was _the_ girl. A gorgeous, tall, slim, rich, popular Qunari beauty, with long dark hair, amber eyes, and the cutest set of little horns protruding through that luscious mane. Every guy in school wanted her. She came off as a little snooty, but that didn’t bother F.J. His raging teenage boy hormones urged him to get as close as possible to her.

“Hm. She doesn’t sound like ‘just a girl’, son,” Finn continued smiling.

F.J. cleared his throat. “Um…well…she is.”

“Stalker.” Adaku’s eyes flashed at her brother, a trim smile upon her face.

“Oh my god, I’m not stalking her! It just so happens her cheerleading troop is having a bake sale at the mall today. Pure coincidence.”

“Oh, is it? Is that why you have today marked, circled, _and_ highlighted with a big heart drawn around it on your calendar?” she pressed further.

“You went in my room!”

Adaku shrugged. “Nope. You left the door open at some point and I happened to see it.”

“Ada, leave your brother alone,” Ariel said, chuckling. She had the dishes set out on the table, and was placing the pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs down as well.

F.J. smirked thickly at Adaku. “Whatevs. At least I have a social life and don’t sit around fantasizing about one. Nerd.”

“Lock it up,” Finn Senior interjected, the tone of his voice strict enough to be the end-all to their bickering. “Let’s eat.”

\-----*-----

Saturday brunch at the Taurus table passed by as lively as ever. F.J. and Adaku poked fun at each other, regardless of their father’s warnings. Kitt had donned the tiara to go with her tutu-over-pajamas ensemble and declared herself queen of the table, daintily eating her pancakes. Darr grinned, gurgled, and laughed from his highchair, tossing food a few times. All the while, Ariel tended to him, managing to eat her own meal.

She was quite a woman, Finn thought for the millionth time as he sat at the other end of the table and watched her. The man smiled and sighed at his family.

After the meal, Adaku and F.J. split. Kitt started gathering things for the tea party she planned for her and her dad, setting it up in the family room. Finn lifted Darr from his chair and cleaned him up, while Ariel started clearing dishes from the table. She stood at the sink rinsing plates and transferring them to the dishwasher, smiling at her youngest, who sat playing with one of his learning toys across the room.

Finn went over and hugged her from behind, kissing her neck. “What are you doing today?”

“Mm,” she purred at the sensual trace of his lips, rubbing her bottom against him, feeling that he was beginning to harden inside the sweat pants. She chuckled. “Juliana is coming over later. We’re going to the farmer’s market, then taking Kitt and Darr to the park for a while.”

“Ah, so I guess that means I’ll be home alone.”

“Lucky you. House all to yourself.”

“What if you asked Juliana to take the kids for a couple of hours, and you and I could stay here, get naked, and do nasty things, hm?” Large hands gripped her hips, moving upward.

“Finn.” Ariel giggled. “I want to, honey, but we planned this a few days ago. The farmer’s market only stays open for a few hours, and they’ll have those organic strawberries I like. Sorry.”

He growled sensuously against her neck.

She laughed, turned, and linked arms around his neck, nuzzling noses with him. “We’ll be back home around three, and Darr will go down for his nap. If we’re lucky, Kitt will follow soon after, and _then_ I’ll be all yours.”

The huge Qunari smiled down at her, nodding. “Yeah, you sure will be.”

They kissed passionately.

“Ew! Gross! Daddy, it’s tea time!” Kitt stood with her hands on her hips, smirking at them. The low, decorative wooden table between the large, cushy couches in the family room had been transformed, all her little saucers, cups, and the teapot laid out. A couple of dolls sat on the couch. They would be guests at the party.

The loving parents laughed.

“Duty calls,” Finn said, then went to play with his daughter.

\-----*-----

Less than two hours later, Ariel and the youngest two were off with Juliana for some leisurely time. The oldest two had dipped out as well, with F.J. heading to the mall with his friends and Adaku, bless her academic little heart, going to the library. On _Saturday_.

The Qunari smiled and stretched, standing somewhere between the family room and the kitchen. All alone in the large house. He sighed and went into the living room, a large area to the left of the front foyer. It was mostly tidy, with some toys strewn about. Couches, tables, a fireplace, pictures decorating the walls.

He went back into the family room, yanked up the remote for the TV mounted to the wall, and sat on the couch. He clicked the TV on and started flipping through channels, stopping when he came to one that had a college football game on. Finn watched for a few minutes before it went to commercial.

The screen faded in from black, and one of the familiar Ares clips started. Mini segments meant to remind the world that their One True God was the _only_ god.

There came a screenshot of downtown Minrathous Metropolis, a bustling city filled with high-rises and skyscrapers. The shot transitioned to the most impressive structure of all, nestled like a jewel between all those buildings. A huge, modernistic pyramid composed of black marble, steel, and stone, the grounds around it perfectly landscaped with green gardens, all enclosed by a twenty-foot wall. The main dwelling in this world of the One True God.

The picture transitioned again to show a gracefully beautiful woman with dark hair pulled into a neat, militant bun and eyes so golden they blazed from her pale face. Her lips were painted a dark shade, further accentuating her fairness. She was Marris Wilder (Starring Morrigan), Grand Advisor to Lord Ares, and the speaker for all of his segments that aired like clockwork everyday on every channel in every country on the planet.

Finn smirked a bit and crossed his arms, used to the political-religious propaganda. It had been this way since before he was born, before his parents were born, before their parents, and so on. The whole world knew that Ares was their god, and they knew how he ran things. The Qunari was just anxious to get back to the game.

The Grand Advisor finished up on TV, her voice strangely soothing with its rich tones, “…a caring god, a merciful god. Ares has provided us with a world we can all be proud of, and it is all our duty to preserve and protect it. He is our Lord and Protector, the One True God. In Ares…” Marris smiled smoothly, nodding at the camera, “…we trust.”

The camera faded to black, then programming switched back to the football game.

Finn watched until the next commercial break, then switched off the TV. He was bored and had been looking forward to some family time, which he’d have to get later it seemed, once the house filled again. He stretched and moved to the kitchen. The clock on the wall said 12:24. Late enough for a beer.

He grabbed one from the fridge, popped the lid off, and swigged, then slipped down the hall for the front of the house. The wall running along the steps was adorned with several pictures. Most notably were the blown-up images of Finn posing with four different newborns, his children. He made sure to have the pictures taken moments after each of them were born, wearing a huge grin in each image while he held his babies close. Kitt was the only one with her eyes open and smiling at him. Daddy’s little princess.

Finn pulled open the front door, walked across the porch, and down the single step, stopping in his front yard. He drank his beer and observed, eyeing houses across the street, directly to either side of him.

The Taurus’s driveway was very spacious, and two of their three vehicles were parked in it—Finn’s big, black full-cab Escalade pickup with its “HORNZUP” license plate and the family vehicle, a dark-blue Excursion. Ariel had been quite opposed to learning to drive the thing because it was very big, but with some encouragement and lots of practice on supermarket parking lots during closed hours, she learned. The Excursion was still in the driveway because she, Kitt, and Darr rode with Juliana. The third car was Finn’s baby, though Ariel drove it when she wanted. An Audi TT, charcoal-gray and fitted with damage and scratch-resistant glass, as all their vehicles were to protect against a wayward, accidental horn jut. Any smart Qunari, especially one with a family, would invest a couple thousand more to have the glass put into their vehicles. There was a motorcycle in the garage too, Finn’s sportster. He hadn’t ridden in a while, but he did fancy taking it out every now and then for a cruise.

Maybe he’d do that next weekend. Ride his Harley. For now, he inhaled deeply, his great chest expanding, and smiled. Life was great. He swigged his beer, catching movement to his right. Finn waved.

“Hey, man. What’s up?”

Victor Trand (Starring Varric Tethras) tugged the water hose closer to a flower bed flanking his front porch. “Hey, Finn. Not up to much really. Just giving a little moisture to the roses for Brianna.” He activated the sprayer and started watering the flowers.

Finn approached, crossing into Victor’s yard. The Qunari smiled. “Usually she’s out here doing that.”

“Yeah, well, she had to go downtown to the courthouse. District Attorney needed her for something. So, she asked me to handle the roses.”

“Ah, being the good little husband?”

Victor snorted and chuckled. “You’re in no position to joke. When Ariel wants you to do something, you hop right on it.”

“Hm.” Finn nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Looks like we're both slaves to the whims of our wives.”

“Yeah,” Victor sighed, turning off the hose.

The Qunari’s eye narrowed curiously. “Is everything alright between you and Brianna?”

“Eh.” The dwarf shrugged. “It’s not terrible, though our sex life could use a set of jumper cables. No, it’s Mona. She’s been acting out lately, getting into trouble at school, grades dropping. That kind of thing. And Brianna thinks it’s because I don’t spend enough time with her. I mean, _she’s_ the big-shot lawyer who’s barely at home these days.”

Mona, daughter of Victor and Brianna, their only child, was in the same grade as F.J. and attended the same high school.

Finn pat the man’s shoulder. “It’s that teen angst stage, man. You know, the whole the-world-is-all-about-me thing they all go through. Hey, you wanna come over and talk? I got a fridge of beers and an open ear.” He grinned down at him.

Victor nodded, smiling a bit. “Yeah, sure. Let me put this hose away.”

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: Finn on the living room couch in the Taurus residence]

“Okay, so you’ve probably gained by now that I’m a pretty good guy.” Large hands clasped before him, elbows on his knees. He nodded and lifted a smile. “I love my family, my job, my country, and my friends. I’ve known Victor for a while. He’s also a good guy.”

Finn’s attractive features broke partially with a smirk, dark eyebrow lifting.

“Where he lacks is in self-confidence. He doesn’t know how to let his wife be the strong presence she is without letting it diminish his character, thinks that submitting to her will means he actually lost.” He grinned. “Lucky for him, he has me as a neighbor, and I plan to help him out in that department. Yeah, it’ll take a few steps. Maybe more than a few. Step one is pulling out some brewskies and unwinding on a perfect Saturday afternoon.”

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

The two neighbors settled around the decorative fire pit in Finn’s backyard, the remainder of a six-pack sitting on the stone-paved patio between them. The Qunari leaned back in his chair, drinking from his beer. That single eye veered to his friend.

“So, what’s really going on with you and Brianna, Victor?”

The dwarf chuffed dryly, swigging from the bottle in his hand. “You really wanna know?”

“Yeah. You’re my friend, and I can tell you need to talk and let some things loose.”

Victor looked at him and sighed. “She cheated on me.”

“Oh, shit. Sorry to hear that, man.” Finn eyed him seriously.

“Nah, don’t be sorry,” Victor replied, rubbing the stubble on his cheek, shaking his head. “It’s my fault. I’ve been withdrawn and distant. It was only a matter of time. I just…”

A long silence passed between them.

“Go on, get it out,” Finn urged.

“I’m a freelance web designer, you know that. Work’s been a bit dry the past couple of years, especially with Wix and these do-it-yourself website building services. It’s plug and play for the everyday person, easy to make decent-looking sites. The need for intricate coding and development is dwindling, unless you land in with a well-off company, you know, getting the contract to handle their web coding and maintenance personally.” Victor’s gaze left from skimming aimlessly through the toy littered yard to his neighbor. “None of this is making sense to you probably.”

“No, I understand what you’re saying. Times are tough for people with your skillset, and you’re not bringing in as much money as you’d like. You think your wife sees you as a deadbeat.”

“Yeah.”

Finn swigged his beer. “That’s not true. Brianna loves you. What she needs from you is support, Victor.”

“But, I do support her. I don’t try to keep her from doing what she wants with her life, her career.”

“And that’s good, but support is more than that. Take me and Ariel. I go to work, earn the money, but she has the most important job—taking care of our home, our kids. I do whatever I can to make her feel appreciated, because she’s important to my success, the _reason_ for it. Everything I do is for her and our family. You love Brianna, right?”

“God, more than anything,” Victor sighed greatly.

“Well,” the Qunari said, leaning over some with a smile, “you have to _show_ her that. Brianna works hard, and she only wants to feel appreciated for it. See, man, this is what you need to do…”

\-----*-----

A neighbor’s advice.

With Victor’s marriage teetering the fence, he decided to give Finn’s suggestion a try. So, he dug out a cookbook, went to the grocery store for some things, got back home, and right on trying to salvage his marriage, before the woman he loved found that she didn’t want him anymore.

Victor pulled the oven door open and removed the dish holding six dozen beef wellingtons. He’d never attempted to make the pastry-wrapped delight before, but the recipe was straightforward, and they looked damn good. Aside from the wellingtons, he’d made sautéed baby carrots, garlic-butter mashed potatoes, and a side salad, to which he’d add the dressing when it was time to serve.

The dwarf nodded at the spread of food, pleased. He eyed his watch and saw it was almost half past five. Brianna called a couple of hours ago to let him know she’d be home around six. Everything was right on schedule. He already had things prepared upstairs.

As dwarves, everything in their home was set lower, the counters and such. Otherwise, dwarven homes were ‘tall-people’ friendly. Victor moved around the kitchen island to arrange plates on the dining room table. While he was tending to it, he heard Mona thump down the stairs. She entered the kitchen a moment later.

“Wow. You did all this? Smells pretty good, dad.”

Victor chuckled. “Thanks. I wanted to surprise your mom. There’s enough for you too.”

“Oh…thanks, but I’m heading to Lauren’s.” The teen opened the fridge, pulled out a carton of apple juice, and drank directly from it.

“Okay, then. I’ll save you a plate.”

“Whatever.” Mona popped her earphones in, cranked her goth-metal, and left.

Victor looked sadly after her, wondering when he became public enemy number one to his baby-girl who used to relish spending time with him. He’d talk with her. One thing at a time. For now, he’d work on his marriage.

\-----*-----

A black Mazda CX-3 turned into the Trand driveway, lights and engine cutting off. Brianna (Starring Bianca Davri…somewhat) grabbed her briefcase and got out. Her heels clicked on the pavement as she headed to the front door, unlocking it. The moment she entered, she smelled the deliciousness.

“Victor! Mona!” She set her briefcase down on the stand beside the door, removing her shoes with a grateful sigh.

It was then that Brianna noticed the lighting was tuned down to a tranquil glow. She moved further inside.

“In here, honey,” came Victor’s voice.

She went into the kitchen/dining area combo, and her eyes widened a bit. The dinner he’d prepared was laid out on the table, highlighted by a few candles. Victor wore a silk shirt, unbuttoned to show the top of his toned chest, and some slacks. He smiled and pulled her chair out.

“Victor…” Brianna began, “you didn’t have to do this.”

“I know I didn’t. I wanted to, Bri, to show you how much you mean to me. I know things are rocky between us, but I don’t want to lose you. Please, have a seat, hm?”

The lovely dwarf’s features went softer as she watched her husband. She used a finger to draw stray tendrils of reddish brunette hair behind her ear. She went to sit, and he pushed the chair in. “Is Mona around?”

Victor sat across from her and popped open the wine. “She left for Lauren’s a little while ago. Wrapped her some up, though.” He smiled warmly.

Brianna’s eyes fell to her plate. “This looks amazing. And wellingtons? They’re not easy to pull off.”

“Hm. They are if you follow the directions in the cookbook.” He poured some wine in her glass and cleared his throat. “How’d things go downtown?”

She sipped the drink. “It was busier than I thought it would be for a Saturday. I tried to make it a half day, but District Attorney Paige was on a rampage. The case with the shooting in that coffee shop uptown a few weeks ago has some hard leads. They know it was done by the Dematori resistance, and now they might be able to link it to actual people.”

“Some suspects. That’s a good thing. Those thugs need to be handled, going around killing people in retaliation to Lord Ares.” Victor smirked, drinking from his wine as well. He hoisted a tender smile. “Let’s put all that on hold for now and enjoy the evening of romance I have planned.”

Brianna chuckled, brow rising. “Romance?”

“Oh, yeah.” He winked. “Just a moment.”

She watched him leave the table and hurry upstairs. He returned a couple of minutes later, settling back in his seat.

“Where did you go?”

“Just setting the controls on our tub to run a bath for you, nice and hot the way you like.”

Brianna cut some of the wellington, eating it. “You know, I could get used to all this pampering.” She set her fork down and reached over the table.

Victor took her hand, stroking his thumb over it.

\-----*-----

“Dinner was delicious.”

“Thank you. I’ll make sure you have food waiting for you when you get home from now on.”

“Victor…honey…”

“Shh. Night’s not done yet.”

The couple reached the landing at the top of the stairs. Victor grabbed her hips from behind, urging her down the hall for the master bedroom. Brianna pushed the door in and gasped, smiling broadly. He had placed a trail of rose petals from the entrance to the adjoining bathroom. Petals also peppered the bed.

“Oh, Victor.”

He moved around before her, hugging her close, delivering a kiss that embodied the extreme desire he felt for her. Brianna groaned at his erection pressing against her.

Victor broke the kiss, his words hot and pleasant on her face, “I dropped your favorite bath bomb in. Go ahead and relax. I’ll head back down to get the wine and chocolate-covered strawberries from the fridge.”

Brianna blinked after him. She didn’t know what had gotten into her husband, what had lit a fire under his ass, but she very much liked it. She undressed and sank into the tub, turning the jets on low. It was absolute heaven. She lifted a wet hand and examined her wedding ring by the light of candles positioned around the ledge.

After she soaked until the water became too cool for her liking, Brianna got out of the tub, dried off, and went back to the other room, where she found Victor reclining on the bed with his hands behind his head, naked, ready, and grinning at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you have it. The first chapter of what I plan to be a very fun segment to write for this series. I’m already enjoying it a lot since it has a modern setting, a world in which we all live.
> 
> For you Modern Family fans reading this, you’ll see my ‘homage’ to the show during what I call Camera Sequences. Those are the moments in the show when main characters are sitting on a couch/chair and directly addressing the viewers (readers, in this case). I will be using Camera Sequences throughout “In Ares We Trust” to incorporate short inner monologues for Fic characters. I thought this might add more depth to the story.
> 
> Finally, I would like to say thank you for reading my work. It means a lot to be able to share the strange ramblings of my imagination with others. :)


	2. The Truth

Sunday afternoon, Minrathous Metropolis, inside the city.

Drake Perrigrin (Starring Dorian Pavus) kept his flower shop open from nine to five Monday thru Saturday. On Sunday he kept the establishment open until noon, and it was the only day he worked alone; three hours passed quickly even though the shop tended to get less traffic. The rest of the week he had a couple of employees working with him.

It was quarter past twelve when he finished sweeping. Making sure the temperatures were equalized in the storage rooms to keep the stock of flowers fresh, Drake cut the lights, flipped the sign on the front door, and locked the place up.

After adjusting his bag over his torso, he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets, shook longish hair from his eyes, and started walking down the street for the apartment he shared with his boyfriend. The pretty man became lost in his thoughts, vaguely acknowledging the city that bustled around him. Honking horns, neon signs, electronic billboards, and many, many people of all races going about their everyday lives.

As usual, the walk between his place of business and the apartment took less than fifteen minutes, which eliminated an actual commute. Harry took the train to work during the week, as his architecture firm was a little further from home. They lived in a nice neighborhood, though not all areas of the metropolis were respectable, the eastern district particularly. That’s where the lowlifes dwelled.

Drake reached the apartment grounds and used the code to enter the gate, nodding at the man in the guardhouse. “Hey, Max.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Perrigrin.” The dwarf grinned and nodded at him, watching him stroll by.

Drake entered the foyer, moving past the hall leading to the mailboxes. He passed the decorative fountain in the lobby and summoned an elevator. He spent the ride up leaning to the wall inside the cab, thinking over his life. He enjoyed it, yes, but he wanted more _in_ it.

The elevator stopped on the seventh floor, and the doors slid apart. Drake moved down the hall until he reached 713. He unlocked the door, eased inside, and locked it behind him, taking his shoes off, hanging his jacket.

Before he could call out, his boyfriend stepped from around the corner.

Drake went to the tall, muscular Qunari, hugged around his middle, and kissed his lightly-bearded chin.

Harold Anders (Starring Hannibal) smiled and tightened arms around his man. “Busy day?”

“No.” Drake sighed greatly. “Just tired, I guess.”

“Well, don’t fall asleep yet. Lunch is waiting. Come on, babe.”

Harold linked his arm around Drake’s shoulders and led him to the kitchen. The Tevinter-born man went to the sink, washed his hands, then settled at the table in the breakfast nook. In this reality, Tevinter wasn’t some sprawling empire built on the mass conquering of elves and the acquirement of their land. The country of Tevinter encompassed all land on the continent east of the Nocen Sea, with Minrathous Metropolis as its most thriving city right on the water.

Harold pulled two plates from the oven, removed the foil, and set one in front of Drake. He took a seat with the other plate.

Drake ignited a charming smile. “Yum. You made your famous tacos.”

“Extra spicy, just how you like 'em.”

The couple began eating.

Harold noticed that Drake kind of picked at his food. Rather than inquiring about it, the Qunari instead smiled and pushed a thin stack of stapled pictures across the table.

Drake wiped his fingers and reached for it. “What’s this?”

“Pictures of a house. It’s located outside the city. We’ve been discussing buying one. I came across this one while scanning Zillow a week ago and decided to print out few shots. It’s perfect, isn’t it?” The man was clearly excited.

Drake sighed, flipping papers up, examining the pictures. “Hm.”

“‘Hm’. That’s all you have to say?” Harold’s smile slowly melted into a depiction of concern.

“What else do you want me to say? It’s…quaint.”

“Drake honey, what’s wrong?”

The man shook his head, shrugging. He dragged hair back behind his ear. “I don’t know if I want to move. My shop is a short walk away, and your office is close too. Moving out to the suburbs will put us in a commute.”

Harold chuckled. “Yes, but not all that much of one. At worst, we’ll have to get up a little earlier to get to work. This is what we’ve wanted. There’s three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a loft space, which you can turn into whatever you want, a big back yard at your disposal, and did you see that kitchen? God, I can already see myself cooking in it.” He reached to take his boyfriend’s hand. “It’s more than enough space for children too.”

This made Drake catch his breath. He’d been wanting a baby for some time. His eyes glistened across the table. “You mean it?”

“I do. I think it’s time we took that step.”

Drake hurried from his seat and moved around to sit on his partner’s lap, hugging. “Oh, Harry. How would we go about it? Adoption? Or surrogate?”

“Well, I’d like the surrogate if possible. We could find a Qunari woman, use your sperm, or a human and use mine. That way the baby would be half both of us, so to speak.”

Drake produced a small squeak, excited to be discussing the topic. “I’d like a surrogate too. We can decide the details once we find a willing woman. We’ll get the house first, so she can stay with us and we can take care of her, fix things up nicely. It’ll be perfect!”

“Yes, it will be, baby.” Harold laughed deeply, happy to see his lover content. “So, is it a go for me to set up an open house with the realtor?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll contact her tomorrow then.”

“Harry?” Drake slowly stroked fingers along Harold’s nape, caressing up through his short red hair, staring into his aqua eyes.

“Yes?”

“There is something else I want.”

Harold grinned, nipping his chin. “And I will gladly give it to you,” he purred into Drake’s neck.

Drake chuckled. “Not that. Not now, anyway. I’m talking about a wedding, an actual wedding. We’ve been together for over five years, and you bit me two years ago. Nothing against the mizraa-teth, but I want a wedding. Nothing too big, really, just us and family and friends gathered for a party. Me in a white suit, you in a black one, us dancing to our favorite song at the reception, a cake with matching toppers.”

Harold nodded, listening. “Alright. If that’s what you want, baby, we can do it. House first, then wedding?”

“I like that plan.”

The men struck up a heated kiss, and Drake repositioned so he straddled Harold on the chair. Lunch was postponed for the next hour.

\-----*-----

Monday morning. Restart of the weekly grind.

The alarm clock on the nightstand on Finn’s side of the bed blared to life at exactly five a.m. He stirred, lying on his stomach, head propped on a pillow to accommodate his horns, allowing him to sleep in the position. Ariel also stirred beside him. Her husband had an arm hugged over her and one hard, strong leg tangled with hers, thoroughly making it so she wouldn’t be able to leave the bed without waking him. They slept this way most of the time since getting together. The woman teased him about it more than once. It was as if he thought she might up and disappear on him in the middle of the night or something.

Ariel nudged him. “Alarm. Off.”

“Mmm…”

Finn kissed her hair, then rolled over and brought his hand down on the button to kill the buzzing. He did what he always did on work days. A quick shower and shave. The suit he would wear hung ready in the walk-in closet, and after he had his morning toast and coffee and brushed his teeth, he got dressed.

While he was finishing up, Ariel’s alarm went off at 5:45. She swiped her phone to silence it and moved from bed to start her own routine. Breakfast for the kids, two of which she had to dress. Kitt was usually good about putting her clothes on, but sometimes she required assistance.

By 6:15, she’d finished toasting the Egos and was pulling a batch of scrambled eggs off the burner. Finn entered the room and went to kiss her.

“Probably gonna be a long day, sweetie. The firm acquired a pretty important client from a competitor Friday, the account for Fade Nineteen Architecture. Team’s gotta get all the paperwork in place today.”

“Do you think you’ll be home by five?”

“Six, if I’m lucky. Seven if traffic is bad.” Finn sighed and hugged her. “Sorry, honey.”

Ariel smiled up at him. “It’s okay. It’s your job, and I know it means working a lot during the week, which will make our trip up to Jamaica all the better. I can’t wait. You deserve a break.”

“Neither can I. Just a few more weeks.” He grinned.

Jamaica was one of many islands flanking the large main island of Seheron, a well-known, popular vacation and leisure spot of breathtaking scenery and black-sand beaches.

“Dinner will be waiting for you.”

“You’re the best.”

“I know.” Ariel giggled.

“Love you.”

“Love you too.”

They kissed again, and Finn turned to leave. As he approached the front door, Adaku came down the steps rubbing her eyes. She still wore her pajamas, and her hair was sleep-rumpled. The man smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Bye, dad.”

Finn exited the house, locking the door after him. This time of year, mid-spring, mornings were only the smallest bit breezy. Being so hot-blooded, Finn enjoyed the coolness. He undid the button on his suit jacket on the way to his truck. The sound of a door closing behind him made him turn to see Brianna heading to her car.

The Qunari smiled and waved. “Good morning, Brianna.”

“Hello, Finn!” She waved back, grinning.

“You seem extra happy today.”

Brianna chuckled softly, opening the driver’s side door. “Oh, I am. _Very._ ” The woman turned and puckered her lips for an air-smooch at Victor, who stood on the porch in his robe. “See you later, stallion.”

“Bye, honey. Love you,” Victor said, waving.

After Brianna’s Mazda pulled off and down the street, Finn addressed his neighbor. “I take it that advice worked.”

Victor grinned. “Sure did, like a charm. Thanks, buddy.”

The Qunari winked. “My boy.”

He climbed in his truck, pulled his seatbelt on, and started the vehicle. As he backed from the driveway, a song popped on his satellite radio station that he hadn’t heard in a while. Finn bobbed his head and turned it up, his shoulders working rhythmically.

The Escalade pickup pulled off, and ten minutes later he was merging into traffic on the freeway.

\-----*-----

The Eleventh Precinct was the busiest police department in the city it seemed. That was probably because other smaller precincts filtered through it to bring cases to the courthouse. Brianna stood outside and observed a couple of cops bringing an elvhen woman inside. Her hands were cuffed. Dark hair fell to obscure half her face. Her provocative dress was hiked up enough to reveal the bottom halves of her little butt cheeks. Prostitute, most likely, caught for soliciting.

“I didn’t do anything,” the elf protested. “Just let me go, will ya?”

“Really? Looked like we caught you working, Naril. You gonna sit here and tell me that guy’s wang magically found its way into your mouth?” One cop taunted.

She shrugged matter-of-factly. “I don’t know how it happened. I was walking along, and suddenly I tripped to my knees, and there it was…” Naril’s words were kind of slurred. She might’ve been drunk or high.

The officers shook their heads, laughing lightly.

“You really need to get yourself together,” said the second cop.

They got Naril inside for her booking. She was in the precinct every other week.

Brianna watched the exchange with a heavy heart. It was a pitiful shame that some people dropped to the low that Naril had. But, this was the world and the job. The dwarf took a deep breath and headed into the precinct. Most of the benches in the lobby were occupied by people wanting to report something or those awaiting booking. She went up to the huge desk.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes,” said the female officer, peering down at her.

“I’m here to see Detective Richardson. He’s expecting me.”

The officer tapped on the keyboard before her, checking the schedule. She nodded after a moment. “Okay. Second floor.”

“Thanks.” Brianna had been to the precinct several times, and to Richardson's office twice. Holding tight to her briefcase, she moved for the wide stairs.

\-----*-----

Detective Collin Richardson (Starring Cullen Rutherford) stood by the windows of his corner office with his hands shoved into his pockets, skimming dark-gold eyes over the city. There was much to think over, and right now, his mind lingered on the fact that, after two years, the divorce was finally getting resolved. His ex-wife was a piece of work, and not in a good way. Looking back on it, he couldn’t imagine why he decided to marry her. She’d been a leech during their entire marriage, taking his money, his time, his love, and using it all against him. Collin was only sorry it took almost ten years of marriage for him to realize how bad she was for him.

But it was really over now, all the paperwork signed, sealed, and filed as of Friday. And because she was unfaithful, he didn’t owe her a dime. Ah, the sweet victory of it.

A small knock came, someone wrapping the door jamb.

He turned, forming a soft smile. “Ah, Brianna.”

“Collin.”

The two of them handled cases together in the past, and they crossed paths regularly at the courthouse, seeing as they both worked directly for the District Attorney.

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” the detective gestured to his private mess set up neatly in the corner.

“No, thanks, but I’ll have some water, though.”

He went to the mini fridge, pulled out a six-ounce bottled water, and handed it over.

Brianna opened it and drank. “As I’m sure the D.A. has told you, she called me in on Saturday to go over evidence in the case of the coffeehouse shooting. She said you had someone in custody.”

“Yeah. He’s being detained in the jailhouse across the street. Ready to head over now?”

She nodded.

They left his office and moved through the busy floor of desks and cubicles for the elevators.

“I’ve reviewed the evidence,” Brianna said. “How much time can you give me with the suspect?”

“An hour, at most. He’s been accused of a treasonous thing—opposition to Lord Ares. And you know what that means.”

“Yes,” the dwarf sighed as they entered the elevator. “Public execution.”

“It’s only a matter of time before the higher authorities come to collect him. We received word shortly before you got here that the Temple is sending Spartan operatives for him today. It’s good that you arrived as early as you did. We’d better hurry if you want to get any information from the suspect. The Spartans could arrive at the jailhouse any minute.”

The Temple was the official designation for Ares’s pyramid dwelling, and Spartans were officers of the law that reported directly to him. His highest-ranking warriors and the most dangerous were called the Black Spartans. They worked covertly to ensure most people continued to believe in one god, Ares.

There were only twelve Black Spartans.

\-----*-----

Brianna’s eyes swept around the waiting area of the jailhouse, stringent and dismal under the glow of fluorescent lights tracked across the ceiling. A deputy sat behind the tall counter in a room that was shield by bulletproof glass, an opening in it large enough to speak through and pass documents back and forth. There was also a metal detector checkpoint, manned by another deputy. Brianna’s gaze met his, and she offered a crooked smile. He didn’t give one back, so she cleared her throat and averted her eyes elsewhere.

A little more time passed, then Collin called to her from beyond the checkpoint. “Counselor.”

Brianna stood and headed over.

“Please, place your briefcase on the table, ma’am,” said the deputy. “I need to check it.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” The dwarf did as he requested, standing by while the man opened the case and quickly determined she didn’t have any guns or knives. She'd gone through the procedure multiple times, having visited clients there.

“Okay. You’re good.”

Brianna nodded and stepped through the metal detector. It didn’t beep. The deputy handed over her briefcase. She followed Collin down the hall, taking it to a flight of stairs, descending. Soon, they reached one of the holding rooms. Through the one-way glass, which was almost too high for Brianna to see, a human male wearing a standard issue orange jumper sat at the table, his wrists cuffed and chained to the surface. He appeared nervous, scared, and sleep-deprived. He kept looking at the window, though he wouldn’t see them beyond it. To him, it was a mirror.

Brianna went to the door and entered. Collin followed, closing the door behind them.

The woman took the seat across from the accused, setting her briefcase on the table. “Corrigan Ashby.”

“Yes, that’s me. Who are you, my lawyer or something?”

“I’m _a_ lawyer, yes,” Brianna nodded. “But from the looks of things, you won’t be needing a lawyer. Not only have you been charged in the murder of five people, you have also been charged with treason against the Lord.”

Corrigan sniffed, eyes darting from her to Collin and back. “If you aren’t here to help me, then why are you here?”

“I do want to help, Mr. Ashby, because after reviewing the evidence, I’m not sure you’re undeserving of an actual trial.”

“I didn’t kill those people! Like I told this cop”—he nodded to Collin—“I was nowhere near that coffee place when it happened.”

“But you do have ties to the Dematori, and graffiti bearing their insignia was spray-painted on the wall at the scene,” Brianna spoke calmly, gauging him. “Evidence also shows your fingerprints on the door and some on the counter.”

Corrigan sat back in his chair, shaking his head. He laughed dryly. “That’s all bullshit, because I was _never there_. And fifty other people touched those areas before me, so I suppose it’s a coincidence they happened to pick my prints from all that? Especially since I’ve never been arrested before, and my prints weren’t even in the system before they showed up at my apartment, busted the door in, and brought me here. Doesn’t that seem out of place to you, counselor? How could they find someone so easily that was never in the system?”

Brianna’s silence translated to deep thought. He seemed genuine, regardless of his ties to the Dematori resistance. “The report says there was an eyewitness who said they saw you fleeing the scene carrying the gun.”

“Lies! All lies!”

Collin crossed arms over his chest, studying the man.

“Corrigan, look, I want to help you, I really do,” Brianna said, “but you have to tell me the truth.”

“Lady, I am!” He heaved a big sigh. “You seem pretty smart, which is why you should look closer at the facts. Historically, have the Dematori gone around killing innocent people like common terrorists? No. Our fight is against that false god and the lie he has blanketed over this world. He’s a dictator, controlling everyone and everything. The Dematori fight for peoples’ rights to believe in whatever gods they want, or to believe in no gods at all. I’m not saying there hasn’t been bloodshed between us and the authorities that work for our _Lord Dominator_ , but one thing is for sure: _we don’t kill innocent people._ We never have.”

Brianna considered his words. Personally, she didn’t have a problem with Ares. He wanted the best for the world and did what he could as the One True God to keep its citizens content. For the most part, anyway. Not that there weren’t wars and conflicts happening in other countries. But it was mostly good, she thought.

The door to the holding room opened, and two Spartan officers entered, identified by their dark red uniforms, the symbol of the One True God (a white Spartan helm silhouette inside of a black triangle, backdropped by a golden sun) etched on the upper sleeve. The Spartans flanked left and right, allowing a third person to enter.

Prime Chancellor Raymond Cordone (Starring Resentius) stared a moment at Corrigan, whose fear had soared at the sight of the man.

Collin uncrossed his arms, straightening. “Prime Chancellor. I wasn’t expecting you personally to come for the suspect.”

“Oh, he’s no longer a suspect. He’s the perpetrator, and a proven member of the resistance,” Cordone answered simply. “On behalf of the Temple and our great Lord Ares, thank you for your work in this case. We’ll take it from here, detective. Now, unchain him from the table.”

Collin removed the key from his pocket and unlocked Corrigan’s chain.

The Chancellor nodded at the Spartans, and they moved forward, each grabbing an arm, pulling him from the chair.

Corrigan tried to resist, frantically shaking his head. “No! No, please! I didn’t do it! _I didn’t do it!_ ”

It didn’t matter how much he protested. He wasn’t even being punished for the coffeehouse shooting. If that was all he’d been accused of, he would’ve received a fair trial in a court of law, and it was Brianna's hope that proving him innocent of the shootings would grant him some leniency. But Corrigan Ashby worked with the resistance, and that _instantly_ doomed him to death. As deemed by Ares, publicly executing Dematori conspirators was the most effective way to deter others from opposing him and his place in the world. There were many others like Corrigan, hiding in plain sight, leading double lives, and they had to be very careful not to get discovered.

Brianna hurried from her chair to the door, watching as the man was dragged down the corridor and out of sight, screaming his innocence all the while. She placed a hand over her heart, breathing hard.

“You going to be alright?”

“Huh? Oh…yes.” She nodded quickly up at Collin.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. There’s not much you could do.”

“But what if he didn’t do it?”

The detective watched her closely. “The evidence is all there, proof that he did.”

Brianna’s brow furrowed. “The evidence. How did you come by most of it? The report stated that you weren’t the first on the scene after the shooting. It said Fweleth Hurn”—an elvhen officer of the 9th Precinct—“was there first. So, how did you get the case?”

Collin shrugged. “The District Attorney called me in to her office, handed over everything she had on it, and told me it was mine. Lots of cases go through the Eleventh Precinct. What difference does it make?”

“Because something’s not adding up.” Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “The evidence pool seems sketchy. Maybe I should go have a talk with Officer Hurn.”

The detective suddenly and gently grabbed her shoulders, lowering on his haunches so he could look directly into her eyes. “Just leave it alone, Brianna. The case is closed, and that Dematori collaborator is getting what he deserves. Promise me you’re not going to go digging into this, okay?”

Bri silently observed him, the thin veil of concern over his features, lingering in his friendly, sexy eyes. She nodded finally. “Okay.”

Collin smiled. “Good, then. C’mon, I’ll walk you out.”

The dwarf went to grab her briefcase off the table, then headed down the hall with him, knowing she’d just made a promise she probably wouldn’t be able to keep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Finn’s Playlist: “Faded Pictures” by Case and Joe, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAC6lHFv-H0.


	3. The Son Burns Bright from the Shadows of His Father

As usual, it was shortly after eight when Finn pulled into the parking garage adjoined to his building. He’d worked for Theralan Financial Corporation for over ten years, eventually reaching his current position of Chief Financial Officer. The building was thirty stories high, and the Elvhen-owned business occupied the top three floors.

Finn parked in his reserved spot and took an elevator to the ground floor lobby. There he greeted the receptionist and rode one of the main elevators further up. When the doors opened on the twenty-ninth floor, the Qunari was presented with the familiar view of a glass wall and cubicles. Some employees had already arrived, though the work day didn’t begin for another forty-five minutes, sharply at nine.

His office was directly on the other side of the primary space. He slipped inside and moved through the cubicles for it. The few employees present nodded in greeting when he passed, and Finn returned the gesture. He entered his office, sat his bag on the couch, the settled in the large chair behind his equally large desk.

The Qunari usually used this time to gather his thoughts and focus. He relaxed in his chair and closed his eye, great chest rising and falling. Not even a minute later, knuckles wrapped the door jamb.

Finn opened his eye and smiled a bit.

Charles Anthony (Starring Cremisius “Krem” Aclassi) leaned to the doorway, grinning, looking dapper as ever in a perfectly tailored suit. In this reality, Krem was an actual man. Biochemically, physically, penis, Y-chromosome, and all. He was everything he’d longed to be in the other Thedas. Charles came from a well-off family and had always worked hard through his life. Aside from obvious wit and charm, he was handsome with a medium, muscular build, and carried a reputation for being a womanizer. The nickname for him shared among his circle of friends was Chuck the Fuck.

Charles worked directly under Finn as Financial Supervisor, managing the floor. “Long night, Chief?”

“Not particularly. It’s just I hate Mondays.”

Charles’s smile broadened, his deep brown eyes gleaming. “Don’t we all?”

Finn’s vision fell on the plastic sleeve in the man’s grip. “What’s that?”

“I came in about six to do a mockup structural analysis for Fade Nineteen Architecture. Figured I’d have it ready for you at the ten o’clock meeting.” He stepped forward and set it on Finn’s desk. “I also made a quick PowerPoint, which I emailed to you and the rest of the team leaders.”

“This is great. Thanks. Saved me a lot of time this morning. I appreciate it.”

“No problem, Chief. That’s what I’m here for, to look after your big ass.”

They both laughed deeply.

Finn tugged on a thin smirk. “Yeah, yeah.”

“So, the new hire is here. She arrived like an hour ago.” Charles’s face adopted the expression of a plotting cat, his smile cunning. “She’s pretty hot.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Should I go get her for introductions? Better she gets acquainted with her new boss now, before things get too busy.”

Finn’s huge form rose from the chair. He moved around the desk. “No need. Just take me to her cubicle.”

They headed out to the floor, where more and more employees were beginning to file in, preparing to start the day. Charles stopped at an enclosure. “Cara, you busy?”

The woman spun around in her seat. Her computer screen showed a browser open and on Facebook. “No, no, of course, not.” She cleared her throat and stood up quickly, eyes going from Charles to the Qunari, whose presence was pleasantly overwhelming. She gave a cheeky grin, holding her hand out. “You must be the boss. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Taurus.”

Finn smiled and shook her hand. “Mr. Taurus is my father. Everyone here calls me Chief.”

“Okay, then…Chief,” Cara’s voiced trailed off. She stared up at him, her green gaze narrowing suggestively, lips gaining a sensuous tilt.

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: Finn sitting in his chair behind his desk, legs casually crossed]

“Yeah. You saw that. She eye-fucked me.”

The Qunari chuffed dryly, his chuckle humored yet simultaneously unamused.

“I’m no stranger to people giving me looks, but for Ares’s sake, I’m her _boss_ whom she just met. And I’m pretty sure she knows I’m married. But, as it were, some people have no morals when it comes to certain things, sexual impulses being high up on that list. Well, I’m obviously not interested, but she’ll try me anyway. And I’ll have to huff and puff and blow her little house down when she makes a move.”

He leaned forward, grinning.

“They _always_ make a move.”

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Cara, and I’m sure you’ll be a great addition to the team. If you need anything, you can go to Charles.” Finn’s expression remained pleasant and professional. He turned and headed back for his office.

Charles pursued, falling in beside him, talking low and chuckling. “I don’t get how you do it, Big-Tall-and-Ugly. It’s like you have this kind of invisible hold on women or something. I saw the way she was looking at you.”

Finn smiled and shrugged. “Always been that way. Guess, I just have a magnetic personality.”

They reached Finn’s office, standing inside the door.

“I mean, women respond pretty good to me, but you don’t even have to _try_.”

The Qunari smacked his shoulder. “Maybe that’s part of my charisma—not trying. And if you do decide to strike something up with her, don’t let it affect the office. It’s not against the rules for you to have relationships with anyone here, as you know, but I don’t want any drama on my team, Chuck.”

“Yeah, Chief. I know.”

“Right. Go get your narrow ass to work then.” Finn winked and went to take a seat at his desk.

Charles laughed and eased off.

\-----*-----

The good thing about work was that it tended to go by fairly quick most days. Today appeared to be turning out as such a day. Finn sat back from his computer and stretched his neck a few times, tilting his head left, right, back, and forward. He’d been examining company quarterly financial reports for the past forty-five minutes. The clock in the bottom right of the screen said it was 9:50.

Finn’s eye flicked to the wide inner windows of his office, the blinds open so he could see the floor and everyone busily at work. He still had ten minutes before the morning meeting, just enough time to make a quick call and take a leak. He picked up the phone, dialed an internal number, and waited. Someone picked up on the second ring.

They spoke on the other end.

Finn smiled. “Good morning to you, Anardur.”

The elvhen woman giggled on her end and spoke. She was the head of Employee Resources.

“Yeah, this is Finn. I’m doing good. How about you?”

He waited while she responded.

“I’m glad to hear that. Listen, I don’t want to keep you long. I was wondering how things are looking with the media department, if any positions for web maintenance and the like are opened up.”

The Qunari silently listened, then quirked a brow.

“Two positions? Really?”

The elf said something.

“Yes, I think I might have someone very qualified I can direct to you.”

She spoke again.

“Nah, it shouldn’t matter that it’s an entry-level job. He’ll be glad to just get in the door and secure the position.”

Anardur Brielle responded.

Finn released a smooth, pleasing chuckle. “Okay, then. I’ll have him get that to you. Thanks, Anardur. Have a great day.”

She replied on her end.

“Yes, I will. Thanks again. Bye.”

Finn hung up. He hoped Victor was serious about getting some work, because he had good news for him.

\-----*-----

Five minutes later, the Qunari sat at the head of the table in the conference room located along the left wall of the entire office space. Also seated at the table was Charles and the financial team leaders: Skilora Cyvel, Danalya Fesas, Stephen Brody, Raedin Zynka, and Gordon Batiste (Starring Skinner, Dalish, Stitches, Rocky…and Grim).

Each of them had important roles to fill at the firm in the financial branch, collectively managing almost fifty employees. Gordon’s job was most important. He served as FRM, financial records manager, responsible for keeping all accounts spic and span for when audit time came around. Hundreds of millions of dollars passed through Theralan Financial Corporation annually, and it was vital that every single dime was accounted for. Gordon had been there for five years and done a spotless job. It hadn’t taken long for Finn to realize he’d made a good move by hiring the guy.

Charles finished distributing copies of the same report he gave Finn earlier to everyone at the table.

Finn forewent turning on the PowerPoint. “As you can all see, Charles has prepared the structural report for Fade Nineteen Architecture. This is a _huge_ account for us. Does everybody understand why?”

Of course, Charles knew, but he kept quiet, eyeing the others.

No one said anything at first. Raedin gripped thoughtfully at the fullness of his beard, looking across the table through the windows and modernistic cityscape beyond.

“Real Estate,” Gordon said a bit softly. He didn’t talk much, preferring to save his words for when it was necessary to vocalize. “Fade Nineteen Architecture is owned by the Veilfyre Corporation, which owns two-thirds of the richest properties in Minrathous and more than half of the most profitable properties in Arlathan.”

As Ares promised to both Fen’Harel and Elgar’nan, the Elvhen people never fell to Tevinter rule and domination. In this version of Thedas, the elves held a great position of power overall, holding all the territory that would’ve been Ferelden and part of Orlais. Their country was called Nor’Okal, elvish for “Land of Light”, and Arlathan was the capital city.

Gordon went on, his voice rising adequately enough in volume so that he was clearly heard. “Ly’Nel Lutora is the head of Veilfyre Corp, and he’s given the Fade Nineteen Architecture account to the best financial firm in the city: us.”

Finn nodded, impressed that Gordon knew so much about it. “I agree. We are the best. I’d say we were neck and neck with Cosmotrade up until now. Mr. Lutora realized his architecture company wasn’t in the best hands and switched it over to TFC, and we cannot let anything go wrong with his account.”

“Damn right we can’t,” said Charles with a smile, leaning back in his chair. “We are rubbing Cosmotrade’s face in it right now. I checked the market before the meeting and saw that their stock has already dropped a bit, most likely due to word spreading about their loss of the Fade Nineteen Architecture account. That means Theralan Financial Corp’s stock is bound to rise. Hint-hint. Might want to grab a few more shares in the next couple of days. I already did.”

Danalya smirked and shook her head, smiling, her blonde bob sweeping the high bones of her pale cheeks. “Always into the money.”

“Always.” Charles winked.

A round of laughter drifted through the room.

Finn cleared his throat. “Thanks for that heads-up, Charles, but I bought some more company stock before I even left work Friday. Now, let’s get to the Fade Nineteen structural analysis. I want everything in place for their account before we leave here today. That means a lot of routing, signing, notarizing, and everything else. You guys know the deal. Probably going to be a long day. But it’s all good. We take care of it now, we leave at decent hours the rest of the week. At least that’s the plan.”

“Sounds good to me,” Stephen chimed.

The Chief and his team leaders dove right in on working to situate their new and most prestigious account.

\-----*-----

At that same moment, down south in the massive, thriving city of Arlathan, one of the richest men in the world stood by the looming floor-to-ceiling windows of his great office on the top floor of the Veilfyre Corporation skyscraper. Arlathan’s cityscape was a perfect blend of nature and tech. Humongous trees rose from the forest floor, and the elves had built their city around and between, rather than destroy nature. Elevated roads and monorail trains wove through everything, forming an intricate and efficient transportation system. Outside the city, in the lower lands, houses and farms sprawled, most of which controlled by elves.

Powerful. Feared. Respected. Ambitious. Those were only some of the adjectives one might use to describe Ly’Nel Lutora III. Elves aged rather well compared to other races, so long as they took care of themselves. Ly’Nel was in his late fifties but could easily pass for a man about to hit forty. His slim figure was clothed in an expensive, tailored suit, dark hair with streaks of silver flowing to just below his broad shoulders. Seafoam-hued eyes continued to scan the majesty of his city while he waited.

\-----*-----

Alexmael Lutora (Starring Fen’Harel) stepped off the elevator and strode suavely down the wide corridor for his father’s office. Windows to the left showed the city in all its Elvhen splendor and ingenuity. Even though the day was overcast and rain gently drizzled, Alexmael found it pleasing.

“Good day, Mr. Lutora,” said the assistant from behind a desk that easily cost several thousand dollars, all marble and dark wood.

Alexmael knit a smile for the pretty elf, mouth tipping upward at one corner. “Velawen.”

Velawen’s eyes fell on his butt when he passed, his suit fitting so well on him. The assistant especially loved the little dimple in his chin. She pressed the button on her desk that sent the grand doors of Ly’Nel’s office receding left and right, a mural of some elf lord slaying a dragon carved into the slabs.

Alexmael crossed the marble foyer with its polished, gleaming floor, and entered. Once inside the doors came together behind him. He saw his father by the windows, looking completely in place amidst the huge, modernly decorated office with its black marble flooring and high ceiling. The younger elf, though well into his thirties, took a seat in a chair on the far side of the desk.

“What was so important, father, that you couldn’t simply tell me via a phone call? I was in the middle of something.”

“Oh. You mean that cute little redheaded piece of tail?” Ly’Nel turned and formed an amused smile. “Don’t look so surprised, son. I know more about you than you think.”

Alexmael’s eyes narrowed a mere hint. “Perhaps, that’s because you have your lackeys watching me constantly. To be honest, it’s becoming a bit obsessive.”

“Lex,” Ly’Nel straightened, his hands clasping in a stately manner behind his back, “you are my son, and there are undoubtedly those in the world who would like to harm you to get to me. It is my duty to keep you safe.”

The son chuckled softly, his expression secretive and debonair. “You wouldn’t have to worry so much if didn’t constantly tickle the underbelly of the crime world. In any event, that’s not my problem. It’s yours. I will not hide away like some hermit because you think I face imminent assassination, and I would appreciate if you backed off with the bodyguards. I can handle myself.”

Ly’Nel’s gazed remained unwavering on Alexmael’s. He could understand the young man’s distaste and irritation. But he wouldn’t relent. Lex was his son and heir to Veilfyre Corp, and he helped Ly’Nel run things. The businessman made sure Lex got a ‘feel’ for the company and how dealings went early on.

“I need you to go up to Minrathous,” Ly’Nel said. “Get settled until further notice and well acquainted with Theralan Financial Corporation, particularly their finance department.”

Alexmael hiked up a trim eyebrow, fingers rubbing his chin. “Trying to keep the dirt from showing in our books? You could send anyone else for that. Besides, don’t we have the complete understanding and cooperation of TFC’s board members?”

“Yes, they’re aware that a lot of the money passing through them will be laundered, gained by less than moral means,” Ly’Nel answered with a light shrug. “I’m not a good man, and they knew that before taking on the Fade Nineteen account. The world knows I’m not a good man. It just can’t be proven.” He smiled thinly.

“It astonishes me to think of how many unsuspecting marks have taken the fall for your treachery.”

“All part of the game, son. Anyway, I want you there to personally oversee their financial department for the first few weeks, at least, to make sure they acclimate to our way of doing things.”

Ly’Nel reached for a flat, sleek tablet on his desk, pushing it across to his son.

Alexmael swiped the screen to wake the device. A page was opened on the TFC website. The head-and-shoulders shot of a rather large and imposing Qunari in a suit stood out beside his company bio. The horned man wore a patch over his left eye.

“Finn Taurus?” Alexmael’s eyes lifted curiously to his father’s.

“He’s the Chief Financial Officer. As far as I can tell, he’s straight and narrow, has a family that he loves dearly. The most criminal thing he’s done in his life was get caught smacking loose mailboxes on a country road with his friends when he was fifteen. At least, that’s the worst thing on record.” Ly’Nel crossed his arms over his chest. “He’s most likely the kind of supervisor that won’t let things slide. You need to get close to him and make him understand that his job is to do whatever’s necessary to keep our books looking clean.”

A chuff came from across the desk, a prompt roll of eyes. “You’re sending me up there to _strong-arm_ someone? That’s not what I do. Just because I know how you make your money doesn’t mean I agree with your methods. Get someone else.”

Alexmael stood and turned to leave.

“I don’t want you to threaten him, Lex. I want you to befriend him. Get him to like and trust you. It’s easier to get people to play along when they like you, and you are quite likable.”

Alexmael faced his father to see him smiling.

“Please, do this,” Ly’Nel urged. “Not for me, but for the company. This is what you do best: manipulating people.”

“Not better than you, for sure. Fine, I’ll go.”

“Thank you. I’ll inform Theralan Financial Corp and Mr. Taurus that you’re coming. I already have a jet waiting.”

“No surprise there.” Alexmael’s suit jacket shifted fluidically when he turned once more and strode for the sliding doors.

“And Lex...”

The son halted but didn’t turn.

“Try not to get into too much trouble.” Ly’Nel grinned.

Lex Lutora left the office. Two hours later, he was on one of the private jets his family owned, soaring above the clouds, his periwinkle eyes staring thoughtfully out the window. This was what it felt like to be on top of the world, yet still not completely content with one’s existence. If he didn’t enjoy the lavish lifestyle he’d grown up in so much, Lex would’ve bounced out on his father a while ago. Aside from a few cousins and a couple of uncles and aunts, it was the two of them. Father and son. Lex’s mother died in a car crash when he was five. Even though he remembered very little about her, the man knew he’d been happier when she was alive. She’d loved him as a parent should, while Ly’Nel hired nannies and teachers to usher Lex into adulthood. The man had even hired people to attend birthday parties when Lex was younger, to make him feel like he really had any friends. But, all of that aside, Lex had everything he’d ever want or need, material-wise.

“Champagne, Mr. Lutora?”

Lex’s attention shifted to the flight attendant. A rather lovely human woman he’d seen on other jet trips, and he still didn’t know her name. She was just another person in the background of the world his father had built around him, _for_ him. He nodded, smiled, and took the drink.

“Thank you.”

“Let me know if you need anything else.”

He watched her leave, sipping his drink. Then, he picked up the tablet on the seat beside him and studied the Facebook page of Finn Taurus. The guy was busy; he had four kids with a lovely human named Ariel.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I do not own the images depicted.


	4. Just Another Manic Monday

Back at the office, Finn and his team ascertained the steps and tasks required to efficiently get Fade 19 Architecture in place, filing from the conference room an hour after meeting. They’d done this lots of times. The only difference was the level of prestige placed on this particular account.

Finn returned to his office and was able to get some of the upper-level paperwork done on his end, not much but some. Lunch time rolled around at twelve, which promptly shut the office down for the next hour. Some employees ate at their desks, some in the break room. Others went down to the café court on the ground floor, and that was certainly Charles’s plan.

He stopped in Finn’s door. “Hey, you wanna grab some sandwiches downstairs?”

The Qunari looked up from his screen, tugging on a grin. “Hell yeah. You read my mind.”

“Okay. I’m gonna take a leak and meet you by the elevators.”

“Sweet.”

Chuck hurried off.

Finn logged out of his computer, stood, and stretched. Making sure his wallet resided in his suit jacket pocket, he made his way for the elevators. Just as he got there, the doors to the middle one slid apart and Jared Halloway stepped out. Jared worked directly under the council of board members, the personal assistant of Mala Elris, CEO of Theralan Financial Corp. The forty-five-year-old elvhen woman was a hard ass that built her company from the foundation in her mid-twenties. It was her baby, and she treated it with just as much love and care as she did her three sons. Finn had only met with her twice during his ten years with the company, mainly because she sent others to deliver messages and reports. That was A-Okay with Finn, though, because in those times when he did meet her, she made him feel rather insignificant and uncomfortable, the way she spoke and watched him.

“On your way to lunch, I presume, Mr. Taurus?”

“Yes. What can I do for you, Jared?”

“Thank Ares, I caught you before you left.” The well-paid assistant moved in closer. “I have a message from up top. Alexmael Lutora is flying in today and wishes to meet with you tomorrow at noon.”

Finn’s eye enlarged. He gave the assistant his complete, undivided attention, turning to face him fully. “What? Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Ms. Elris figures he’s probably being sent to make sure our finance department is fully…” a shadow cast across the very slender man’s features, “…on-board.”

“I see.”

“Make sure you give him the utmost respect, Mr. Taurus. He’ll probably be working over your shoulder for a little while. Inform your team leaders at once to keep their people under control around him. His opinions of our conduct will undoubtedly reach the ears of his father,” Jared finished conveying the message.

Finn nodded slowly. “I understand.”

“Tomorrow. Noon. Be in your office.”

Finn watched the man summon an elevator, though he was only going to the floor directly above, the top, and could’ve taken the stairwell. The doors of one cab opened and Jared entered, hands clasped behind his back. Then he was gone.

“What did that skinny, little ass-hat want?” came Charles’s voice.

Finn spun to him. “Well…to deliver a message from the boss. Apparently, Ly’Nel Lutora’s son is paying a visit to our little office tomorrow.” His finger jabbed the DOWN button to call an elevator.

Charles’s face sharpened, mouth parting in disbelief. “Are you being serious, Chief?”

“As a heart attack.”

“Fucking hell.” The second in command grinned broadly.

“It’s a routine thing, I’m sure. A need to intimately assess us and our finance-handling capabilities,” said Finn. “After lunch, I need you to gather up the team leads and meet in my office.”

“Done.”

An audible _bing_ announced the arrival of one of the elevators. The doors eased apart, and the two men boarded.

\-----*-----

Over at Weisshaupt High, a very good public school located between the city and the suburbs, lunch had ended. Students had five minutes before the bell rang, deeming everyone _not_ inside their fifth period classrooms tardy, and therefore subject to disciplinary actions, which could be a warning for some and detention for others. That depended on how much of a delinquent the tardy party was.

Finn Junior got to his classes on time mostly. He didn’t enjoy school nearly as much as Adaku, but he did manage to keep average to above average grades. In his mind, as in the minds of numerous other teenagers, high school was a phase, something to be endured, and one day he’d be sixteen and free to do what he wanted as a legal adult. The drinking age was still nineteen though, but that didn’t stop a lot of younger teens from doing it anyway.

The young Qunari man closed his locker right as his two best friends walked up. “What are you guys doing after school?”

Luke rolled his eyes, hand running back over his wavy, auburn hair. “I have to help my dad clean out the garage. I was supposed to do it with him this past weekend, but I got him to let me off, with the promise of doing it today. So…yeah.”

“Should’ve just done it over the weekend,” Ketak piped, shaking his head while formulating a grin. He, like F.J., was a Qunari, but more on the shorter, slimmer side. Ketak also served as the academic stickler in their trio, smart and determined in the same way as Adaku. One of his eyebrows tilted with light warning. “And you better make sure you spend some time studying for that biology test on Wednesday.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Luke said. “I’m sure I’ll be able to pass it.”

Ketak chuckled. “Getting a ‘D’ _is_ passing, but you could aim higher, you know?”

“Well, not everyone sees Harvard in their future, butt-face. Some of us actually enjoy our youth enough not to take everything so seriously,” Luke rebounded, only a little defensive. He got this kind of chastisement from his friend on a regular basis.

And F.J. was always stuck in the middle of it, humored and chuckling. “Chill, guys. All we have to do is get through high school. After this, the world is ours. You can get anywhere so long as you have a high school diploma.”

“Fucking-A,” said Luke, then exchanged bro-fives with F.J.

“Oh, shit…” muttered Ketak.

Luke and F.J. followed his line of sight to see that Nazlie Ozishok headed towards them, moving with the grace of an angel through the student body, everyone seeming to part and disperse, allowing her passage. The three teens stared wordlessly at her.

Nazlie was used to people staring. Guys, girls, they all did. The Qunari beauty stopped by them. “Hey.”

“Hey,” F.J., Luke, and Ketak said as one, tongues all but hanging free of their mouths.

She settled her attention of F.J., conjuring a stunning smile, pushing dark hair behind her pointy ear. “Your name’s Finn, right? I saw you at the bake sale Saturday.”

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: F.J. sitting at one of the student desks with the adjustable fold-aside tops, the classroom empty]

He smiled suavely.

“I knew I had to clear up that puppy-dog grin asap. Nazlie has people drooling over her constantly, and I didn’t want to come off as just another ‘Horny Joe’, even though that’s pretty much what I am. What can I say? She’s so hot.”

He cleared his throat and reclined at the desk, holding to his smile.

“To keep from looking like a total douche, I did what came natural: I imagined how my dad would handle it. He’s so smooth with mom.”

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

F.J.’s features eased into a casual smile, one that was boyish yet controlled, his eyes peering into hers. “Yeah, I was at the mall for some light shopping with my buds.” Both Ketak and Luke still grinned like loons at Nazlie. F.J. continued. “We saw you and your troop doing your sale. I hope you made a lot of money.”

Nazlie giggled softly, moving closer to him. “We did. It’s going towards some new equipment.”

“Cool.” F.J. examined the young woman closely, fully aware of the bedroom eyes she sent his way.

Nazlie reached out and ran a hand down one of his muscular arms. “You’re pretty big for a freshman.” She was a sophomore.

“Bigness runs in my family.”

Nazlie’s eyes widened faintly, and another chirping giggle expelled. Her eyes flicked down a moment to his groin. “Oh, really.”

Finn Junior winked at her.

“Ever think about joining the football team? They’d be glad to have you, I’m sure.”

The Qunari shrugged. “Thought about it, but I’m more into lifting weights and bodybuilding.”

Nazlie nodded. “Well, you should keep it up. You’re definitely doing a good job of building up your body,” she purred.

“Glad you approve.”

“So…do you wanna go out sometime?”

“I’d like that very much.”

“Good. Gimme your phone.”

Taking paced, hindered breaths to keep his excitement under control, F.J. dug his phone from his jeans pocket, unlocked it with a quick code, and handed it over.

Nazlie took a moment to enter her name and number into his contacts list, then gave the phone back. She leaned as close as was possible to F.J. without actually touching, and he stared down calmly at her, inhaling every precious particle of air upon which her sweet scent hung.

“Call or text me, and we’ll go do something.”

“Count on it,” F.J. replied softly.

Then, the three teen guys were watching her walk away, possibly one of the most beautiful things to behold in the world–her round butt in those pants.

Luke broke their silence first, smacking Finn Junior on the back. “Bruh, you handled that like a boss, yo!”

“Right!” chimed Ketak. “Nazlie Ozishok came to _you_! That’s epic.”

F.J. held up a hand. “Yeah, yeah. That’s only step one.”

“And a pretty important step, at that,” said Luke. “You gonna call her up later? She was totally giving you signals. Totes.”

Well-kept was the smile that parted F.J.’s features. “Nope.”

“What? You’re not calling her?” Ketak frowned at his friend.

“Not right away, no,” F.J. answered. “I’m gonna make her come back to me, make her really want it. If I call her right away, she’ll treat me the same as all her other boy-toys, and while I wouldn’t mind being used and abused by Her Royal Hotness, I want to make her work for it. I’m not just another boy-toy. I’m Finn Taurus.”

Both Luke and Ketak were observing him with wonder and bafflement.

“What the hell’s gotten into you?” Luke remarked.

F.J. grinned. “Nothing that wasn’t already there. Let’s just say I learned from the best. Now, to class, dudes. Don’t wanna be late.”

\-----*-----

Half hour after lunch ended, Charles and the team leaders crowded around Finn’s desk. The Qunari had just told them about their VIP visitor.

“I can’t believe he’s coming here,” Danalya beamed. “He’s like a celebrity, kind of. I mean, there are few people in the world who _don’t_ know who the Lutoras are.”

Stephen nodded. “The guy and his father have been on the cover of Money magazine, Forbes, Fortune, and several others numerous times. He was on the cover of Vanity Fair a couple of years ago too.”

Everyone in the room was watching Stephen with keen curiosity, twinkles of humor on their faces.

“You sound like a real fanboy. Pussy,” Skilora teased, chuckling.

Stephen shrugged. “I keep up with events, yeah.”

“To stay on topic,” Finn entered, situated comfortably in his chair, eye roaming to each person, “Mr. Lutora will be coming tomorrow around noon. I need all of you to brief your teams for his arrival. I don’t want a bunch of straight-out gawking and googly eyes and all that shit. _No one_ is to approach him. He’s certainly used to people acting like typical dumbasses around him, so let’s not stoop to that. Make sure your people know. Any questions?”

“Oh, oh.” Danalya quickly flapped her slender hand, eyes holding the sparkle of excitement. “Do you think Mr. Lutora would find me attractive?”

Finn rolled his eye. “Any _viable_ questions.”

Danalya feinted a pout.

The others laughed.

The large, solid Qunari trembled with chuckles too. He waved an arm. “Okay then. Out of my office and back to work.”

Everyone left but Charles. He lingered in the door. “Chief, according to your schedule, you have that Father-Daughter Day thing with Kitt tomorrow. You think you’ll be okay to make the meeting with Lutora?”

“Yeah, no problem there. It’s more of a show-and-tell, where I show up and she tells the class about me, my job, all that. I did the same thing with Ada when she was little. The difference is Kitt is a lot more excited about it.” Finn chuckled a bit to think of his precious girl. “But, yeah, I won’t be late for the meeting. I show up for Kitt’s class at nine, and it shouldn’t last more than fifteen or twenty minutes, and late-morning traffic shouldn’t be that bad. I’ll be in before eleven.”

Charles nodded, remaining in the doorway, watching his boss.

“You need anything else?” Finn questioned.

“No. I was just thinking that you have a pretty busy life. The kids, this job, home and work, not to mention that gorgeous wife. It seems like so much, but you handle it well. I admire that.”

The Qunari shifted his suit jacket. “It is a lot, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Being single was fun. Being a family man is still fun, but also rewarding, adventurous, and full of wonderful surprises. You’re getting up there, Chuck. Might want to consider finding a good woman and settling down.”

“Nah, I like being single too much.”

Truthfully, the lifestyle of an unattached man had its thrills and appeals, but Charles found himself lonely most times, unable to connect with anyone that stimulated his mind as well as his body. That was probably because of the superficial asshole in him, interested mostly in surface beauty rather than what a woman contained intrinsically. Oh, well. He could deal with that. Maybe one day he’d meet a lady that made him rethink his bachelor style, or maybe he’d be single until the day they put him in the ground.

The man’s smile curled further, and he tapped the doorjamb, then moved off to get back to work.

Finn dove back into his own tasks.

\-----*-----

It was after six when Finn finally walked through the door. He set his bag down and sighed, taking in the sounds and smells of home. At the back of the house in the family room, Darr squealed and laughed over and over. Finn made his way down the hall, entered the area, and saw that a Disney show featuring a cast of talking CGI trains was on the TV, which was no doubt the cause of the toddler’s delight.

The two oldest were nowhere in sight. Ariel relaxed in a La-Z-Boy watching over Darr and Kitt, the girl sitting at the kitchen table drawing. Kitt grinned and jumped up when she saw Finn, running over to him.

“Hi, daddy!”

“Hey, sweetheart.” The man scooped her up and nuzzled her nose. “Did you have a good day at school?”

“Yes. We learned about some dinosaurs from Lang Tamm. She brought her dad in today, and he’s a ark-a-logist. He works with old bones.”

“Ah, an archaeologist. That’s pretty cool.” Finn chuckled deeply.

“Yeah. I can’t wait until tomorrow, so I can tell my class about your job, daddy.”

“Well, it’s not as exciting as digging up dinosaur bones, but it pays the bills.”

Ariel stretched and rose from the cushy chair, smiling. “Kitt, let daddy get settled in, sweetie. He just got through the door.”

“Oh, it’s alright. I’m happy to see her too.” The Qunari’s smile intensified, and he kissed his daughter before setting her down.

Kitt returned to the table and her drawing.

Ariel moved in to wrap arms around her husband’s neck, lifting on the balls of her feet to kiss him. “How was work?”

“Good, mostly the same as every other day.” Finn’s arms embraced her, and he lovingly brushed his nose to hers. “Happy to be home, the highlight of my day.”

She chuckled. “I know, honey. Your dinner’s in the oven. I’ll go heat it up for you.”

“Thanks. I’m gonna head upstairs and change.”

The Qunari kissed her again, then slipped away, with Ariel smiling after him.

Fifteen minutes later, he was settled at the kitchen table before a hefty plate of lasagna, salad and garlic bread served on the side, and a tall glass of lemonade. He dug in, churning out rumbles of satisfaction.

“Mm, delicious.”

Ariel chuckled and rubbed his shoulders, then sat in the chair nearest to him. “I can tell.”

Finn forked in another bite, chewed, and swallowed. “So, I got some interesting news today. Alexmael Lutora is coming into the office tomorrow to meet personally with me.”

“Seriously?” Ariel’s crystal-blue eyes lit, and she leaned towards him, legs crossing under the table. Darr blared a scream from across the room, then erupted into laughter. _Howl’s Moving Castle_ played on the large, wall-mounted TV, and the part had come on where “Grandma” Sophie arrived at the palace as “Wizard Pendragon’s” mother, both she and the Witch of the Waste climbing an absurd mountain of steps, the overly plump Witch wheezing her way upward, struggling and complaining. For some reason, Darr found the scene incredibly entertaining. Ariel’s attention flicked to her son, then back to Finn. “ _The_ Alexmael Lutora?”

Finn chuckled deeply. “Well, I don’t know of another one, baby.”

“Yes, right.” She shook her head and laughed. “It’s just, he’s very well-known. You said that new account you acquired is owned by Veilfyre Corporation, the Lutora’s, but why would Alexmael personally come to see you?”

“Finances. It’s a formality, most likely. Just them wanting to make sure their account is in good hands.” He took a moment to eat more lasagna, followed by a bite of bread.

“I see. I didn’t know your job was so exciting.”

“Hm. It’s not most of the time, but occasionally we get something to spice things up.”

The couple talked a little more, before Ariel left him to finish his dinner. Afterwards, Finn joined her on the couch to watch the animated flick, along with their two youngest. Before the movie ended, the front door opened and closed. A moment later F.J. entered the family room, striding across for the kitchen.

“Hey, pop.”

“Hey, son.”

“Mom, we have any of that lasagna left?” the teen asked, already opening the fridge, rummaging.

“There’s a little left—hey! Wash those hands, go digging in my refrigerator…” Ariel grumbled softly, eyes turned over her shoulder to her son.

Finn shook silently with chuckles.

F.J. sighed and went to the sink to do as his mother commanded. He then removed the container from the fridge, setting it on the counter, peeling off the silicone lid. “There’s not much left. Can I just finish it off?”

Ariel shook her head, knowing full-well that there was enough lasagna for two people. Well, two regular-sized people. The woman had conformed to the fact that F.J. would possess the same horse-appetite his father did before the boy even reached age ten. No doubt Darr would be the same.

“Go ahead, honey,” she answered, garnering a gentle smile for her son.

F.J. found a fork and happily started digging in, not bothering to heat it up.

Both parents turned their eyes back to the TV, Finn tightening his arm about her shoulders. “He’s a growing boy.”

“Oh, I know, and one day he’ll be as big as an ox, like you.” Ariel giggled, kissing his cheek.

“Adaku up in her room?” Finn asked.

“Yes. She’s been up there since after dinner. Probably with her nose in a book.”

The doorbell resounded.

Kitt leapt up, grinning, her fluffy hair billowing. “I’ll get it!”

“You most certainly will not,” Finn said, rising from the couch. “You don’t get to answer the door yet. You’re too young.”

“Oooh,” the girl whined, then flopped back down to color some more.

Finn moved for the front of the house and opened the door. He smiled down at his neighbor. “Hey, Victor. What’s up?”

“I got your text earlier, and I just wanted to stop by in person to thank you.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem, man.”

Excitement coursed through Victor’s eyes, setting his face alight. “I sent my résumé to Miss Brielle immediately. She got back to me within two hours. I got the job. Start next week, though she wants me to swing by Wednesday morning, so we can meet in person.”

“Alright! Congrats!” Finn grinned down at him.

“Brianna’s happy about it. I called her while she was at work to tell her. As soon as she got home, she jumped on me.”

The Qunari’s eye narrowed, and a low growl of laughter ebbed from him. “In a good way, I hope.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, anyway, I’ll let you get back to relaxing. Maybe you can come over this weekend and chill in the man-cave for a while—shoot some pool, play some darts, air hockey, down some drinks. I already invited the other guys.”

“You bet. Count me in.”

“Okay. Talk to you later, man.”

“Later.”

Finn watched him leave the porch back towards his house, then shut the door. An hour later, he hit the sack.


	5. Friends in the Highest Places

Kitt’s extra booster seat was in the garage. Finn made a few final adjustments to it behind the passenger side in his truck. He checked his watch as he headed back in the house. 7:55. Making great time. On most days, he’d be in transit to work, having gotten up at five. He was glad to get that extra hour of sleep, rising with Ariel’s alarm instead.

The Qunari crossed the entry foyer and called towards the back of the house, “Kitt, you almost ready?”

Ariel came down the corridor holding Darr. “She’s upstairs in her room grabbing her backpack.”

“Coming!” The six-year-old’s little voice churned from above.  Then she bounded down the steps, giving her parents quite a surprise. She had dark red lipstick scribbled over her lips, a huge smile revealing scarlet on her teeth too.

“Kitt!” Ariel quickly handed Darr to his father, meeting the girl at the bottom of the steps, kneeling before her. “What in the name of Ares…? Gotten into my makeup again.”

“Oh, boy.” Finn laughed thickly. “Again?”

“Yes. She did it last week. You were at work.”

“Ah.” Finn gently veered his son’s curious hand away from his eyepatch, at which the boy grabbed.

“Don’t I look pretty, daddy?” Kitt’s eyes enlarged as she smiled up at him.

“Honestly, I think you look better without all that, sweetheart.”

“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Ariel grabbed Kitt’s hand and led her back upstairs.

Adaku sauntered down the hall from the kitchen, a smile planted. She’d heard what happened. “I’m gonna wait in the car, mom!”

“Okay!” came Ariel’s voice from upstairs.

Ada turned to Finn and reached for Darr. “I’ll get him in his car seat.”

“Alright.” Finn kissed the boy’s head and handed him over, then pressed a kiss to Adaku’s cheek. “Have a good day at school, sweetie.”

“I will. Love you, daddy.”

“Love you more.”

Finn smiled after them. These were the heartwarming little bits he missed out on during the week, because he was gone by the time Ariel loaded the three youngest in the Excursion so she could drive the girls to their schools. It worked out nicely since both Haven Elementary and Val Floret Middle School were a fifteen-minute drive away as well as just down the street from each other. F.J. caught a school bus down on the corner with his friends every morning. Soon enough that’d be Ada too. Finn fretted to have her going to high school, surrounded by all the walking sacks of hormones posing under the guise of teenaged boys.

The Qunari puffed a great sigh.

Five minutes later, he strapped Kitt into her booster seat, kissed Ariel goodbye, then started for Haven Elementary.

\-----*-----

Finn hit the main road, cruising along. He stopped the truck at a light and took that moment to observe Kitt in the rearview mirror. She vaguely kicked her legs in beat to the song on the satellite radio. It faded out and another popped on, one that Finn liked a lot and hadn’t heard in what seemed like ages. That’s what he loved about the station, the fluidic way it mixed all the oldies and hits from the past few decades with modern music.

The man saw that his daughter liked it too, her smile having brightened, head bobbing. He turned it up a little, then resumed driving when the light transitioned to green. They were only another minute from Kitt’s school.

“Tequila!” the girl bellowed in unison with the only lyrics in the predominantly instrumental piece. She’d picked it up fast, giggling when it went off. “I like that one, daddy!”

Finn laughed. He pulled into the lot and found a place, parking the truck. Once he extracted Kitt from her seat and helped her put her pink and purple Doc McStuffins backpack on, Finn grabbed his daughter’s hand and they started across the lot for the entrance. Kitt skipped a bit, humming happily. Finn smiled down at her, pressing the button on his keychain to lock the doors of his truck and set the alarm, slipping the keys into his pocket.

They reached her classroom a short moment later, where two other fathers waited outside. Finn stole a look at his watch: 8:25. Class would commence in five minutes, and the father-daughter show-and-tells would start at nine, beginning with Finn.

Kitt tugged his hand, and he lowered on his haunches before her. The girl hugged him tight. “I love you, daddy.”

Finn’s eye closed, and he drizzled a soft sigh, lips poising a smile. “I love you too, but I’m not going anywhere just yet, honey.”

“I know. I just wanted to tell you.”

“And I’m so happy you did. You have no idea how much better my day will be because you said it.” He released her, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. “Now, get on in there before you’re late.”

“Okay!”

He chuckled as she hurried into the class.

“Cute kid,” said one of the other dads—a tall, broad distinguishingly attractive elvhen man with trimmed dark hair and grey-green eyes.

Finn faced the dads, then went to stand with them on the other side of the corridor. “Thanks.”

“Your wife usually drops her off and picks her up,” the man spoke again, his voice a pleasant medley of rich tones carried upon a tailored accent.

Finn’s eye drew to him, suspicion brewing in that single blue well.

The man cleared his throat and suddenly chuckled. “Oh, wait. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to come off as creepy or anything. I’m just stating that I’ve seen the woman with white hair several times in passing, and that while the little girl looks just like her, she has your…um…horns, so I figured you were her father. Well, that, and the fact that you’re here for Father-Daughter Day.”

Finn studied him while he spoke, loosening up as the explanation came out. He finally smiled, nodding. “Yeah, Ariel’s usually the one doing all the morning and afternoon school transportation. The name’s Finn.”

The Qunari held his hand out.

The man (Starring Elgar’nan) returned his smile, shaking the offered hand. “Eredor. I’m Everlee’s father.”

\-----*-----

Being heir to a multi-billion-dollar empire carried with it many perks, including the luxury of a sound, worriless goodnight’s sleep. That granted, Alexmael tossed and turned throughout the night, unable to rest his thoughts. He slipped from the tangle of expensive satin sheets a little after seven, fixed a cup of tea, and now stood on a grand penthouse balcony. One of the many family getaways scattered around Thedas. The Lutoras owned the top floor of the upscale apartment building in which the young man currently dwelled.

Lex sipped his tea, periwinkle eyes skimming the early morning cityscape, a place that never seemed to sleep. Even now taxi horns blared sporadically, like creatures calling back and forth in their ruthless concrete jungle habitat. The eight-thousand square-foot apartment overlooked Sentinel Park, a bloom of greenery and a lake in the heart of uptown Minrathous.

The elf finished off his tea and went to change.

He was going for a run.

\-----*-----

Father-Daughter Day for Kitt’s class had been spread over Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday so that all nine girls in the class would be able to bring their fathers in during the morning hours. Finn was glad he’d get to go first this morning. When Kitt’s teacher, Miss Jan, opened the door promptly at nine and beckoned at the Qunari with a smile, Finn nodded and headed inside.

He stood at the front of the class with Kitt. She displayed a smile that lit the room. The girl’s eyes swayed to Miss Jan, who smiled warmly, which urged her to start.

“Good morning, everyone. This is my daddy, Finn.”

“Hi, Finn!” the six-year-olds chimed.

Towering, huge, wearing a suit and his eyepatch, Finn tugged a pleasant smile. “Hi, class.”

“He’s a chief financial officer at a big company and he makes lots of money so that he can give me everything I want.” Kitt looked up at him, her tiny hand slipping into his. “Isn’t that right, daddy?”

Finn chuckled, clearing his throat. “I’d say that’s pretty accurate, princess.”

A boy at the front of the class raised his hand, sitting all straight and proper in his seat. His hair was combed perfectly, the collar of his Polo shirt pressed. The expression on his face said he was the uppity type that would one day be presiding over some grandiloquent fraternity, all the while shamelessly flaunting and squandering his parents’ bank accounts.

Miss Jan smiled at the boy. “Go ahead, Ivar.”

“How much money do you make?” Ivar prompted.

“Well, you know…” Finn shrugged, “…it varies.”

“Hm.” The boy’s chin lifted, and his eyes narrowed. “I’ll bet my dad makes more. He’s into business and stocks, you know.”

Kitt glared at him. “Shut up, Ivar!”

Miss Jan waved a hand, moving around her desk, cheeks reddened and flustered. “Now, now, children. That’s enough. I’m sorry about that, Mr. Taurus.”

“It’s quite alright,” Finn replied, chuckling. He gave Kitt’s hand a gentle squeeze.

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: Kitt sitting daintily at her desk in an empty classroom]

The lovely little girl smirked at the camera.

“Oooo, I hate that Ivar. He thinks he’s sooo cool, but nobody in the class really likes him. Donte and Gendal only hang out with him to make him feel good…probably.”

She nibbled her lip, eyes straying. The silvery-blue gems narrowed back on the camera and she grinned.

“Ivar is a doody-head. He pulls my hair sometimes, but next time he does it, I have a surprise for him.”

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

Kitt smirked heavily at Ivar and rolled her eyes. She addressed the rest of the class. “Are there any other questions for me and my _awesome_ daddy?”

Hands flew up. Q-and-A resumed, during which sprang the inevitable inquiry about how he lost his eye. Ten minutes later, Finn thanked Miss Jan and the children for having him, bid them good day, kissed his baby girl, then headed for work.

\-----*-----

Like clockwork, with around half hour before first period began, the bus stopped in the designated zone out front of Weisshaupt High, lined up with the other buses. F.J., Ketak, and Luke stepped off.

“I still can’t believe you haven’t called her yet,” Luke said as the three of them headed inside.

F.J. shrugged, conjuring the wisp of a smile. “In time.”

Behind them back at the curb, Nazlie got out the passenger side of her father’s Mercedes G63. She waved goodbye, then turned to see Finn Junior and his friends disappear through one of the splayed doorways into the school with a flood of students. The young woman smirked and chuffed, wondering why the freshman hunk hadn’t so much as texted her yet. She hated that it had taken her half the school year to approach him.

F.J. parted ways with his bros so they could all go to their lockers before class. The Qunari transferred books from his backpack to his locker, grabbing what he needed for first period. When he closed the door, he found a guy glowering at him, arms crossed over his chest.

Demetrius Galerian. Captain of the football team, dumb as a sack of dildos, and overall epitome of a high school jock cliché, complete with the stupid varsity letter-jacket. He was as tall as F.J.—a solid six-foot-two, though F.J. would most likely be closer to six-six when he finished growing—and fit. Demetrius stepped closer to the guy he saw as competition.

“I hear you’re trying to start something up with Nazlie.”

F.J. didn’t flinch. In fact, he appeared quite calm. He shrugged. “She came to me, so it looks like that could be a possibility. What’s it to you? Last I heard, she dumped you.”

The promise of highly-charged confrontation never failed to draw a crowd. High-schoolers were like piranhas when they smelled blood in the water. A few of them halted upon hearing the beginnings of the exchange, and others were stopping too.

“She didn’t dump me, dip-shit.” Demetrius got right up in F.J.’s face. “We both agreed to give each other a little space, but we’re definitely still together.”

F.J. lifted a brow. “Funny how you say that, but she’s interested in hooking up with me.”

“Stay away from her, freshman goon.” The jock shoved F.J.’s shoulder, then seemed surprised at how little the Qunari budged.

Finn Junior’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t touch me again.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know exactly, but I promise you won’t like it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

Both held their ground, about ten students standing by, a few with their phones out, ready to capture any action they could upload to Facebook and gossip about later.

“Demetrius!” Nazlie broke through the small crowd, linking her arm with F.J.’s. “I told you we were done two weeks ago, and I meant it! I don’t want you back, so go away.”

The jock’s mouth parted, disbelief capturing his face. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. Now _go away_. Go on, shoo!”

Demetrius licked his lips, swallowing. His eyes swerved to F.J., who smiled casually at him. “We’re not finished here, loser.”

“Have a nice day, Demetrius,” F.J. replied calmly.

The jock stalked off. Students eventually dispersed.

Nazlie sighed up at F.J. “I am so sorry about that. He can be such a grunt sometimes. I guess that’s why I decided to break it off.”

He chucked, shrugging. “Don’t be sorry. He’s just jealous. I would be too.”

Her smile broke, transforming into a vague frown. “I thought you might’ve decided you didn’t want to get together, since you didn’t call me yesterday.”

F.J. studied her dazzling features, silently amused at how she’d played into his intentions. “Oh, I definitely want to hang out with you. I was just busy with some things and didn’t get the chance to call.”

“I understand. You seem very focused. I like that.” Her hands clutched and massaged his bicep through his shirt. “Meet up with me at lunch?”

“Count on it.”

“Okay.” Nazlie pulled in and kissed his cheek. “See ya then.”

F.J. grinned boyishly in her wake as she sauntered off down the corridor.

\-----*-----

Finn spied his watch as the elevator doors opened. 10:40. He still had well over an hour until Alexmael Lutora’s arrival. Sipping the Minrathicana he picked up from a café downstairs, he made for his office, savoring the strong, flavorful coffee.

He set his bag down and sank behind his large desk.

As expected, Charles popped into the doorway. “Hey, Chief.”

“All the team leaders got their people in line?”

“Yes, though…” and here the second-in-command shook his head, chuckling. “…I did have to send Danalya off for another blouse. The one she wore in was a bit revealing.”

“Really?” Finn sipped his coffee. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Seriously, Chief, you should’ve seen it. She was showing the _entire_ valley.”

The Qunari chuckled resonantly. “Guess she really is determined to get Lutora to notice her, but not on the clock, she won’t. Thanks for handling it.”

“No prob.” Charles leaned to the jamb a moment. “You feel nervous?”

“A little maybe. I just want to get him in and out. Wham, bam, outta here.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll just leave you to gather your chi and all that.” The man smiled and backed out of the office, shutting the door as he did.

Finn’s chest puffed and deflated a sigh. He took the next ten minutes to sit there and gather his thoughts, then pulled up any relevant reports in preparation for Alexmael Lutora’s visit.

\-----*-----

As much as most people’s idea of Alexmael lie somewhere between privileged socialite and billionaire playboy, the elf prided himself on being a businessman first and foremost. The art of conducting business was written into his DNA, as it was in that of his father, his father’s father, and so forth. The Lutoras liked to play as much as anyone else, but that luxury came _after_ an extreme, meticulous amount of work. Ly’Nel said it himself: he wasn’t a good man, and not all of their fortune had been amassed ethically. It had taken a lot of discipline, sacrifice, and tenacity to get the Lutoras to where they were today.

Alexmael despised his father most of the time, but felt it was his duty to uphold the company and protect the family name. The silver McLaren 570S purred to a halt in the fire lane, its license reading: LEX 2. The elvhen man stepped out, removed his sunglasses, and peered up at the thirty-story building. He moved around to the sidewalk and strode for the wide banks of glass doors. A security guard doorman stepped up to him, his hand out.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you—oh, shit. You’re Alexmael Lutora.”

A trim smile settled over Lex’s face. “Be a sport and watch her for me?” He nodded at the car, more concerned about being illegally parked than the two-hundred-thousand-dollar vehicle. Lex pat the man’s shoulder, then slipped him a thousand dollars. “For your troubles. I won’t be terribly long.”

The guard’s mouth parted faintly as he watched Lex glide off. He turned to the McLaren, giving it his ultimate attention. The only person (or entity) in the world that would be able to touch or move the car was Ares himself.

Lex saw the looks while he crossed the huge, busy lobby. It was the lunch hour. He spotted someone hastily fishing out their tablet to snap pictures or a video. He smiled at the man, then pushed UP for an elevator. Another building guard approached, warding back the others awaiting the elevator.

“Sorry, everyone. This car is for Mr. Lutora. Please await the next available elevator. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Lex chuckled and waved his hand. “Nonsense. It’s quite alright. I assure you there will be room enough for everyone.”

The elevator arrived. Lex entered first, and ten others dashed in with him before the guard halted the loading. The doors slid shut, but not before a few building employees snapped some pictures on their mobile devices.

The ride up was quiet, only the low hum of the elevator pulley mechanism. Lex stood at the rear, hands clasped at the small of his back, features pleasant and smooth. He received random smiles and such. As it were, no one in the elevator was going higher than Floor 18, so he ascended the last few levels solo.

When the doors opened on twenty-nine, Lex exited and was greeted by a very slender elvhen woman with a short blond bob. She inhaled sharply, caught her breath, and smiled.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Lutora. I’m Danalya. I’ll escort you to Mr. Taurus’s office.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Danalya had begged Finn for this small task, and he finally agreed because she looked like she might cry if he did anything other than that. The woman headed into the main room. “This way, please.”

Lex followed, his eyes skimming the desks and low-walled cubicles, all the gazes fixed on him, everyone quiet.

Finn saw Danalya and Lex from across the room through his inner windows. He cleared his throat and waited until they were in his office before standing. Holding to a good-natured smile, the Qunari held his hand out. “Mr. Lutora. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“I’m sure I can say the same, if your employee bio page is any indication.” Lex shook his hand.

Danalya still stood in the office gawking.

Finn’s eye flicked to her, and he nodded. “That’ll be all, Danalya, thanks. Please shut the door after you.”

“Oh…yes…of course.” She grinned, almost loosening a girlish giggle, and left them.

Alexmael took in the décor of Finn’s office, spying the photo on the desk. It had been taken a few months ago. “Beautiful family. Four children are a lot to handle.”

“They can be, but I love being a father.” Finn smiled proudly.

“I’m sure.”

“There’s no need to ask if you have any kids, since that’s something the world would probably know.” The large man chuckled briefly.

Lex’s smile deepened. “Perhaps.”

“Do you at least have a special lady? That’s where it all begins, you know, with finding that perfect match.”

“Well, if I told you anything about my personal life, certain details could end up skewed out of proportion in some cheap tabloid, not that I’m questioning your integrity, Mr. Taurus.”

“I totally get it, Mr. Lutora. When your whole life is under the public’s microscope, you gotta do what you can to maintain some semblance of privacy.”

Alexmael studied him, nodding thoughtfully. “Why don’t you call me, Lex, hm?”

“Only if you agree to call me Finn.”

Both men shared a stint of mirth in the form of low chuckles.

“Alright. Look, Finn, you’re a smart guy, so I’m going to assume you know why I’m here.”

Finn took a moment of consideration, choosing his words carefully. “I think so. You’ve been sent to monitor your money, to make sure the guy in charge of it—me—is with the program, so to speak. Hey, let’s get something straight: it’s really no secret how questionable your father is when it comes to how he makes his money, but I have no interest in all the back-room shit. I intend to do my job as admirably as ever. Besides, if anything were to go down, some kind of company scandal, though I’m sure it won’t, I’d just be a middle man. The peeps upstairs have ultimate control, and I’m sure they’ll clean the money before funneling it to me. I can live with that. Now, are we straight?”

A slow smile formulated, the elf’s head tilting, his brow rising. “As an arrow.”

“Okay then.” Finn took a quick sip from his water. It was just as he suspected. The Lutora’s wanted to make sure he knew his place, though he realized the true seriousness of the situation the moment Lex mentioned his family. In the case of any blow-back or lack of cooperation, Ariel and the kids could turn into leverage against him. Finn would take the necessary steps to make sure that didn’t happen, beginning with putting on his blinders. The big wigs could do whatever they wanted with their company. He was just an employee who intended to do his job.

“Well, that was quick and insightful. My father will be pleased to hear you’re with the program.” Lex smiled handsomely. “You’re a good man, Finn. I’m going to be in town for a few weeks. We should get drinks sometime.”

“That sounds good.”

“Enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You as well.”

Lex left the office, heading for the elevators.

Finn released a deep breath and lowered to the cushiony grip of his desk chair. Worry furrowed his brow as he stared at the photo of Ariel and their four children.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From Finn's Playlist: "Tequila!" by The Champs, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H6amDbAwlY
> 
> *I do not own the image of awesome actor Lee Pace.


	6. How to Out-Bully a Bully

“How’d it go?”

“Huh?” Charles’s inquiry tugged Finn from mulling over his thoughts. The Qunari offered a small smile. “Oh, fine. As expected, daddy sent his protégé on an errand of business to assess our financial capabilities in covering the Fade Nineteen account. I mean, it’s warranted since it is a three-billion-dollar company. Anyway, everything’s good.”

Charles leaned to the door jamb, arms crossing his broad chest. “Yeah, I’m sure you worked the ole one-eyed charm.”

Finn chuckled. “I try.”

“Well, there’s still a good forty-five minutes of lunch left. Sandwiches?”

“I can go for that.”

\-----*-----

At Haven Elementary, the first and second grades had lunch from 12:00 to 12:30, then recess until 1:00. Kitt and two of her friends sat around the sandbox with their Barbie dolls playing beach party. The girls giggled as they pretended, Kitt’s Qunari Barbie holding the role of superstar on vacation in Jamaica. She knew her mommy and daddy were going there in a few weeks, so it seemed appropriate.

A shadow fell across the girls, its owner kicking sand over their play area.

“Hey!” Kitt frowned up at Ivar.

The boy laughed and kicked more sand at them.

“Stop it!” one of Kitt’s friends cried.

“Wah, wah, wah. You’re all such babies,” Ivar moaned.

Behind him, Donte and Gendal grinned.

Kitt grabbed her doll and stood. “C’mon, ladies. Let’s go somewhere else.”

The other two girls rose with their dolls. All three turned from the bullying Ivar to find another spot where they could enjoy the rest of recess.

Ivar hurried forward, locked fingers in the thick fall of Kitt’s white hair, and yanked.

Kitt screamed and spun to him, eyes lowering into thin slits of contempt. Her friends stared on wide-eyed, prepared to run if necessary. Ivar and his two minions howled with laughter. Before Kitt could think twice and talk herself out of it, she charged the boy, her head tilted forward. She collided with him, and he flew to the ground.

All the children who bore witness to Kitt’s confrontation with her bully swooned in awe, quiet and expecting. Ivar rolled around a bit, whining. When he sat up, everyone saw blood gushing from his nose. Breathing hard, he stared at the redness on his fingers, watery eyes looming up at Kitt. He burst into tears.

One corner of Kitt’s mouth quipped the ghost of a very satisfied smile.

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: Kitt back in the empty classroom at her desk]

“A headbutt. Nice surprise for that _butthead_ , don’t you think?”

The gorgeous little girl giggled, then sighed.

“Hm. I’ll probably get in trouble, but I don’t care. He deserved it. Mommy might not think so, but my daddy will back me up.”

She bobbed a resolute nod.

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

The cafeteria of Weisshaupt High churned with student life, the tables filled with cliques and friendship circles. F.J., Ketak, and Luke moved down the line, loading a variety of foods on their trays. They reached the end and stood side by side, eyes fixed to the western corner. That’s where most of the high-profile people sat, Nazlie and her group included.

“Um…you think we should go over with you?” Ketak said to F.J.

The Qunari chuckled, slipping him a side-glance. “You can. But if you get eaten alive, it’s not my fault.”

“They’re just people.” Luke’s gilded eyes rolled. “And it’s not like they own the cafeteria.” He started over.

“Hey, wait,” called F.J. “I should go in alone. I mean, Nazlie did invite only me to eat lunch with her.”

“Don’t worry, big guy.” Luke grinned over his shoulder. “Tak and I won’t cramp your style. We’ll get seats down the way.”

At that, he swerved through the room for an open spot near the high-profilers. Ketak followed. F.J. shook his head, smiling, then headed towards Nazlie’s table. On the way over, he saw that Demetrius sat not so far away with some of his football pals. He glowered at F.J. when their gazes met.

F.J. didn’t skip a step, mentally brushing the guy off. He stopped at Nazlie’s table. She conjured a dashing smile and pat the seat next to her. The four other girls at the table gawked silently at Nazlie’s new toy.

Finn Junior set his tray down, then lowered beside Nazlie. “Hey, ladies.”

“Hey…” they all answered, all the while watching him closely, intrigued.

The Qunari swiped his apple up and snapped off a bite.

A couple tables over, Luke and Ketak were watching.

“Wow. He’s in Babe-topia right now,” Luke mused, longing strewn over his voice. “Those are, like, the hottest chicks in the school.”

Ketak chuckled, nodding. “You sound jealous.”

“I am!” wailed Luke, then smiled. “But I’m also proud of my bro. Who knew he had it in him to enter the lioness’ den with only his horns to protect him?”

They both laughed, then continued their lunch, while watching F.J.

“So, how’s your first year here going?” asked one of Nazlie’s friends.

F.J. shrugged. “Alright, I guess. It’s high school, nothing all that exciting.” He popped some fries in his mouth, chewing.

“Ah,” the girl said, nodding.

“Well, I agree,” Nazlie said. “It’s so perfunctory, high school. It’s a place to build character, then you move on.”

“Right. That’s how I feel, exactly,” F.J. remarked.

Nazlie looped her arm around his and pulled closer, peering at him through her lush eyelashes. “Looks like we have something more in common than being Qunari.”

“Mm.” Finn Junior set his water glass down, shifting every speck of his attention to the beauty beside him. “Looks like it. Maybe we can get together this weekend and see how much more we have in common.”

Nazlie’s lips parted, and she found herself somewhat breathless, caught in the spell woven by his unwavering blue gaze. He was _so_ hot. How had she not gotten to him sooner? She would always ponder the mystery. Her fingers wiggled, wanting to plant in his neat, curly, dark hair and experience its softness.

Nazlie’s friends noticed the chemistry. One of them cleared her throat and giggled. “Well…we…will just be heading off to get ready for class. Later, Nazzy. See ya around, Finn.”

Rising, holding surreptitious laughter in their eyes, each girl sent her temporary goodbyes.

“Later.” F.J. tossed a wave. He hadn’t been formally introduced to them, but he knew their names. Everyone in school did.

Nazlie picked up a fry and dangled it before his lips.

F.J. snagged it, chewing slowly.

“Hey, since you want to do something this weekend, how about coming to a party with me? Some rich guy at another high school is throwing it.”

“Oh, well…okay. Maybe. I’ll have to pass it through my folks first,” F.J. said, though he was sure he could persuade them to let him go. If not, he’d be sneaking out, because Nazlie was worth a month of being grounded.

“Good!” she beamed. “It’s Friday night.”

\-----*-----

The remainder of the school day seemed to drag on for F.J., more so than usual. Aside from the case of The Itis or mild food coma that settled in, he was anxious to get home, finish his homework, and call Nazlie. Or maybe he’d start with a text. Yeah, that made him seem less eager.

Now, with the final bell announcing the end of the day, Finn Junior opened his locker, grabbed his stuff, and went out by the buses. Ketak was already out there. Luke exited and saw them. He took a couple of steps before someone called out behind him.

“A moment, Mr. Humphrey.” The voice was authoritative, demanding.

Luke knew exactly who it belonged to. He stopped, sighed, and turned. “Yes, Mr. Rivaldi.”

Trevor Rivaldi (Starring Thom Rainier, a.k.a. Blackwall) taught Thedosian History. Students regarded him as a “hard-ass” due to his high expectations and staunch lack of humor. The man rarely smiled. Some of the students found him mysteriously attractive, which could be warranted. For a man in his early forties, he was in great shape. He wore his dark hair a bit long, and it grayed faintly at the temples. Eyes the shade of new denim contained unshakable focus as they watched Luke.

Mr. Rivaldi crossed arms over his chest. “You tanked that test today, Luke. That’s the second one in a row.”

“Yeah, um…sorry about that.”

The history teacher lifted a brow. “Don’t apologize. Do better. I know you can. You’ve seemed distracted for the better part of the school year. Is everything okay at home?”

Luke’s eyes strayed a moment, then he nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’ve just been busy with other things.”

“Things more important than your education?”

The young man shifted and fiddled. “I’ll study harder, Mr. Rivaldi, promise. Now, if you’ll excuse me, got a bus to catch.”

“They don’t leave for five more minutes, so you will stand here and give me another sixty seconds of your time,” spoken without harshness and very calm, though in a way that planted Luke’s feet in place. Mr. Rivaldi continued. “You’re failing the class, Luke, and with three months left in the school year, you have a small window to catch up and raise your grade to at least a C. If you don’t, I’ll have no choice but to recommend you attend the summer school program.”

Luke’s shoulders sank. He knew he wasn’t doing so hot in school, and it made him feel even dumber when he compared himself to his bros. Ketak was an immaculate student who would only miss school if necessary. A zombie apocalypse could befall the world, and he’d still be concerned with maintaining his straight A’s. F.J. held a blasé attitude for school, yet he kept his grades decent and was an above average student.

Trevor spoke further. “I know this seems like the worst news ever, but it’s not. You can turn it around. I’m available for two hours after school every day, so if you’re serious about wanting to pass, come see me starting tomorrow, Mr. Humphrey. If in a month I see no improvements, I will have to inform your parents.”

Luke nodded slowly. “Yes, sir.” He turned and sulked towards F.J. and Ketak.

“Dude, what did Mr. Rivaldi want?” F.J. asked.

“Oh, only to tell me that I’m failing his class, and he’s gonna put me in summer school unless I get my grade up before the end of the school year.”

“Whoa.” Both Ketak and F.J. had a “Keanu” moment. Ketak pressed on, “That sucks, bro.”

“Tell me about it.” Luke sucked in a big breath, sighing it out.

“I could study with you?” Ketak offered. “I’m really good with Thedosian History.”

Luke’s eyes rolled. “You’re good in every class.”

“Well…yeah. Just saying I’m down to help if you want.”

“You available today?”

“Sure!” Ketak grinned. “What time you want me to come over?”

“Oh…uh…I’ll just go straight to your place from the bus stop.”

“Okay.”

F.J. examined Luke during the exchange. Something seemed off, weird. For the past few weeks, Luke had been quick to shoot down the idea of meeting at his house, suggesting instead to meet elsewhere. For now, F.J. placed the thought on a mental shelf, intending to revisit it later.

The three close friends boarded their bus, which pulled off promptly at 3:15.

\-----*-----

Gordon lived in a two-bedroom apartment with his wife and their two sons, ages five and seven. While the place was in a decent enough area of the city _and_ it allowed for short commutes between both their jobs and the boys’ school, Gordon wanted more space. He and Selena hoped to move into a larger apartment within the next three months, or even a house outside the city. Doing that, however, meant they’d have to increase traveling times to their jobs and possibly the school. Nothing had been decided yet.

It was close to 5:30 when Gordon got home, hanging his coat on the rack. The enticing smell of seasoned ground beef filled the air. He’d smelled it from down the hall. In the living room, both Jason and Shaun watched some skateboarding competition on TV.

“Hey, guys.”

“Hey, dad,” said Jason, the oldest.

Shaun shuffled around the couch and ran to his dad, who picked him up for a hug and headed into the kitchen. Gordon grinned at his wife. “Spaghetti. Yum.”

Selena Batiste (Starring Sophitia MacLamont) turned from the stove, where she had a deep pot of pasta boiling and a skillet of meat, peppers, and onions, sizzling. The sauce simmered lowly on a back burner. A soft smile blossomed on her face, and she leaned to kiss Gordon. “Hey, honey. How was work?”

“Good. Mr. Lutora was in and out pretty fast.” Shaun wiggled in Gordon’s arms, so the man lowered him to the floor. The boy ran off back to the living room. “I thought for sure he’d come in there on a rampage, but nope.”

“Well, that’s certainly a good thing.”

“How’d your day go? Was the garage very busy?”

“No.” Selena worked from nine to three at a car maintenance center. Desk work and appointment scheduling mostly, though she did get under some hoods every now and then. The woman got her grease monkey tendencies by growing up with four brothers and a father who treated her no different from them, when it came to chores and work. In all other ways, she was still his little girl. “Ten cars during my entire shift. Vaard was prepared to let me go early, but I found a way to keep busy, since we could use the money.”

“Babe…” Gordon moved in behind her, slipping arms around her waist. “We don’t have a problem with money. I make a decent salary at the firm.”

“Yeah, I know, but I _really_ want to move into a new place. To do that, we need money, right?” Selena spun in his arms, smiling as she pushed her lips to his for a light kiss.

Gordon chuckled. “We’ll find a place. You been looking?”

“I have.” She turned back to the busy stove top, stirring. “I saved some listings for you to look at later. They seem promising.”

“Okay.” Gordon sighed and brushed a kiss to the back of her neck. “I love you, Sel.”

“I know, hon. I love you too.”

Thirty minutes later, the Batistes sat down to their dinner of spaghetti and bread sticks.

\-----*-----

Finn finished changing from his suit, slipped on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, then went back downstairs. The whole family was in the main room, gradually gathering to the kitchen table. Ariel had set out the last of the meal and was getting Darr into his high chair on her end. Golden contentment flooded Finn. Most days he got home too late to share dinner with the family, but he made it just in time tonight.

Ariel spooned some mashed potatoes on her plate and a little on Darr’s, the toddler striking a finger through the whipped white stuff, giving a test-taste. He grinned in approval and scooped up more with his hand.

“So,” Ariel started, “Kitt had an incident at school today?”

“What happened?” Finn’s eye moved from his wife to his daughter. He forked some juicy roast beef to his plate.

Kitt swallowed, eyes flicking between her parents, before settling on Finn. “Nothing,” spoken in a small voice.

Ariel lifted a brow, smiling slimly at the girl. “Oh, something happened alright.”

“Kitt…?” Finn urged tenderly.

Her slim shoulders sighed up and down. “I had to go to the office because I…headbutted someone.”

“What? Why would you do that, sweetheart?”

“Ivar asked for it, daddy! He pulled my hair, and that’s not the first time!”

“Hm.” Finn’s grin spread on slowly. “The boy from earlier. Oh, well. That’ll teach him not to put his hands on people. Way to go, sweetie.”

“Finn!” Ariel screeched from the other end of the table. “You know fighting isn’t the answer.”

“I dunno, mom,” F.J. entered, smiling at his little sister. “The guy did touch her first.”

Adaku nodded. “I have to concur.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Ariel said sternly. Her artic-blue gaze turned to her husband. “Finn…”

The Qunari cleared his throat, quickly looking to Kitt. “Mom’s right. Next time anyone hits or bothers you, tell the teacher, okay? You’re a Qunari, and we’re naturally sturdier and tougher than other people. You could’ve seriously injured him with that reinforced brow plate. You have to be mindful of that, Kitt, okay?”

The way Finn spoke to her wasn’t chiding or scolding. In fact, Ariel noted the hidden smile on his lips. He was pleased that his daughter protected herself, only giving the lecture to appease Ariel.

“Okay, daddy.” The girl smiled and dug into her dinner.

While Ariel was busy keeping Darr from tossing food around, Finn caught his younger daughter’s eye and flashed a thumbs-up, nodding his approval for headbutting that sanctimonious little turd.

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: Kitt sitting on the living room couch at the Taurus residence]

She clasped her little hands in her lap, producing an all-knowing, self-satisfied smile.

“See? Told you my daddy would have my back.”

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

F.J. snatched a dinner roll from the basket and tore a bite, chewing. “So, now that I have you both together”—the young man knew this was his greatest chance to get permission for attending the party, making sure his dad was present. Funny how all the Taurus children knew their father would be more likely to side with them, if a request was reasonable—“I wanted to ask if I could go to a party on Friday.”

Ariel was hip to her son’s strategy. He’d had a few hours to run it by her, yet had purposely waited for Finn to get home. She shook her head, faintly amused with his craftiness. “Is a student from school throwing it?”

“Some guy from another high school,” F.J. answered, wishing he’d gotten more information from Nazlie about it, since he realized his mom was about to grill him.

“You don’t know who?”

“Um…not exactly.” F.J. shifted in his chair, forking in more food to buy time. “I mean, I don’t know him personally, but Nazlie does.”

“Ooo, Naaazliiiie,” teased Ada, grinning at him.

F.J. rolled his eyes.

“Where does he live? What neighborhood?” Ariel helped Darr spoon more mashed potatoes into his mouth.

“I’m…not sure.”

“F.J., honey, if you can’t even answer those simple things, you can’t expect us to let you go.”

“Mom,” he sighed, putting his fork down, “It’s just a party. I don’t understand what the big deal is. Dad?”

Finn was aware that his children used him as a stepping stone to get approval, but he only agreed when he knew Ariel would too. This was a time where he wouldn’t bend. “Junior, your mother’s right. We need to know who’s throwing the party and where they live, at least. Get that information and we’ll see.”

“Okay.” F.J. dragged a long inhalation, then continued his meal. Afterwards, he would call Nazlie and find out more about the party. He really wanted to go.


	7. Friday. Such a Peculiar, Glorious, Fun Day.

Ah. Peace and glorious, most coveted privacy. Two things that were damn near impossible to get when you had a child, let alone four of them. Both Darr and Kitt were in bed, either already in Slumber Land or well on the way. Adaku and F.J. were in their rooms and should’ve been heading to bed right about then.

Sitting in bed, wearing a silky cream-colored teddy, Ariel trembled out husky giggles as her husband stepped from the sweat pants and began crawling up the king-sized mattress towards her. Finn lowered his body between her knees, face turning so he could set kisses up her inner thigh, nipping.

“Mm…” Ariel droned, wiggling her hips. Manicured hands reached and gripped his solid shoulders, urging him up.

The Qunari chuckled and obliged, settling his weight atop her.

Ariel pulled his head down for a hot, unadulterated kiss, one hand slipping between them to stroke his hard heat.

“Mm, baby,” Finn growled, quite ready to bury himself.

“You sure you want to? It’s almost ten, and this will eat into your sleeping time.” she purred, working the ties of his eyepatch, which she removed and tossed to a bedside table.

“Fuck sleep. I want you. _Now_.” His teeth nipped her small chin, lips lingering a tender trail along her cheek.

Ariel giggled more.

Someone knocked on the door. “Can I come in?” It was F.J.

“Ah, shit,” whispered Finn, rolling off his wife. He pulled a pillow over his groin.

“One moment, honey,” Ariel called out to F.J. Smiling, features flushed and giddy, she slipped from bed and pulled her robe on. She unlocked the door, tugging it open.

“Um…” F.J. saw his dad in the background, pillow adequately shielding his man-parts. “Yeah, so, I’ll make this fast because I’m _soooo_ uncomfortable right now.”

“And I’m annoyed, Junior,” Finn piped.

“Well, I got information about the party,” F.J. began. “The guy throwing it is Fimor Steelcoat.”

Finn’s eye narrowed. He rubbed his chin. “Steelcoat. Why does that sound familiar?”

“Because Fimor’s dad is one of the senior partners of the law firm Mrs. Trand works for—Glorindrac and Steelcoat.”

“Oh, yeah.” The Qunari nodded at his son, then twirled a finger, implying that he “get on with it”. He was anxious to resume sexual activities with his wife and had grown fully rigid beneath the pillow.

F.J. cleared his throat. “So, Fimor’s giving it. They live in Jaderston Manors.”

“Ooo,” Ariel brightened, pale brows rising, standing out starkly against her smooth, melanin-rich skin. “That’s that gated community with all the big houses over near the girls’ schools. It’s not all that far away.”

“Nope, not far,” F.J. said, glad to see his mom’s smile. His chances of being allowed to go had increased.

Ariel crossed slender arms over her chest. “Are Fimor’s parents going to be present?”

And his chances probably just decreased again.

“Well,” F.J. said, “Um…they’re out of town until Monday.”

“So, there won’t be any adult supervision?”

“Mom, he’s seventeen, a senior at Penberthy. He _is_ an adult.”

Ariel chuffed her disapproval. “Legally. But he’s still in high school.”

Finn saw his son’s shoulders sink. He sighed and stepped in, speaking gently. “Oh, c’mon, honey. It’s just a get-together with a bunch of young people, and Fimor is old enough to handle his own party, I’m sure. Junior’s a good kid. I think he deserves to go and have fun, hm?”

F.J.’s vision skirted to Finn, who gave the young man a wink.

Ariel turned over her shoulder to eye her husband, then faced her son. “Will you know anyone else there, besides Nazlie?”

He grinned. “Yes. Some other kids from school are going. I asked her if she thought it would be okay for Luke and Ketak to go, and she said it’d be cool.”

“Do they know they’re going?”

“I haven’t told them yet. I wanted to see their faces when I did,” F.J. said. “So, I’ll tell them tomorrow at the bus stop.”

Ariel sighed. She knew she couldn’t be one of those mothers that sheltered their children from everything, expecting them to be little and helpless forever, because if there’s one thing F.J. _wasn’t_ , it was helpless. Her baby boy surpassed her in height when he was ten, and was now nearly half a foot above her, growing into a broad hulk like his father. Ariel had no doubts he could take care of himself. She finally nodded.

“Okay, sweetheart. You can go, but your curfew is midnight.”

F.J. grimaced. “Midnight? It’s on a Friday.”

“How about one-thirty?” said Finn from bed. “We can give him that, hm, babe? I’ll drop him off and pick him up myself.”

“Oh, alright.” Ariel agreed. She smiled up at her son. “You best go on to bed now.”

“Thanks!” F.J. pecked a kiss to her cheek, grinned at his dad, then headed off.

Ariel shut and locked the door, turning to Finn. Smiling rakishly, he removed the pillow, revealing his raging boner. The man’s brow hunkered into a mild frown.

“We still doing it?”

The pleasantness of bells and glitter, her laughter. Slowly, seductively, she shrugged the robe off and moved back towards the bed, hips swaying under the little teddy. “Mm, you bet your big, sexy ass we are.”

Feral embers burned in Finn’s eye, a low rumbling growl ebbing from him. “Oh, yeah…”

\-----*-----

Friday.

Harold stepped off the subway train at 8th and Gislain Station like he did every work morning. The stop contained three platforms, air rushing through the series of tunnels, producing a constant machinic hum. As he traversed the wide platform for stairs up to street-level, an express train rushed by from the opposite direction, bypassing the station as scheduled.

Up top, Harold walked two blocks north, picked up a double-shot espresso Minrathicana at Starbucks, and crossed the street into the Fade 19 Architecture building. There were seven floors with open décor, well-kept premises, and personnel manning the reception desk.

Harold worked on the third floor, using the steps like always. Kept him in shape. His office wasn’t a large corner one, but it was spacious enough, containing his desk and computer, and a workstation in one corner where he could draft up plans and ideas. Half a dozen three dimensional models rested on shelves for current projects.

He settled at his desk and turned his computer on, smiling to think of Drake, who was probably now just getting out of bed and preparing to head into the flower shop. Harold would have to think of something special to do for him, maybe this weekend, though it’d have to be centered around Drake’s schedule since he worked every day.

The Qunari tapped out his password and logged in. A moment later, he clicked on his Outlook to open the email client. He frowned at the window, which showed a completely empty _Messages Received_ inbox. Harold sighed and smirked. This had happened before a few weeks ago, and the IT guy fixed it in a snap.

Aqua eyes flicked to the desktop clock. He really needed to check messages before getting into his day. He picked up the thin cordless phone on his desk, dialed the extension, and waited.

\-----*-----

_Bling-bling-bling._

_Bling-bling-bling._

The little company intranet phone in the holder attached to Calvin’s belt resounded and chimed. The man was currently in the large, frigidly airconditioned second-floor network closet examining panels and switches. One section of workstations on this floor had issues communicating with the rest of the LAN yesterday, and Calvin had stayed a little later to rework a some of the wiring. He’d come in early this morning to finish up, and only had to check the DHCP (dynamic host communication protocols) between the downed workstations and the server. That would be the easiest part of it all.

Twisting on a frown at the interruption, Calvin slid from behind the server rack, shutting off the pin light clutched between his teeth. He pulled the phone free and pressed ANSWER.

“Network Manager. How can I help you?”

“Oh, hey,” Harold said on the other end. “Sorry to bother you, but I’m having the same issue I had before where my email inbox won’t populate with inbound messages. I mean, I know there’s some in there. There always is. Would you mind—”

“You’re the guy in office 305, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I’ll get someone up there as soon as possible.”

“Thanks so much, man.”

“Yep.”

Calvin cut the call, and immediately dialed one of the saved contacts. The desk of Jolie Simmons. She was part of his troubleshooting and helpdesk team. It rang five times with no answer. Calvin huffed and hung up. A look at the smartphone’s clock showed she still had fifteen minutes before technically having to be on-duty. She might be up there and not answering _because_ she had extra time. The nine others working under him would probably do the same, if they were at their stations.

“Fucking hell,” he said lowly, irritated, then left the networking closet to handle the call himself.

\-----*-----

“Hello.” Calvin Hart (Starring Cole) wrapped knuckles to the ajar door of Harold’s office.

The Qunari’s eyes yanked his direction, and he smiled broadly, standing, arm outstretched to the desk chair. “Please, come in.” He knew Calvin was the head honcho of the tech department, and that he always seemed to be busy. “Thanks for coming yourself. I hope I didn’t tear you away from anything important.”

Calvin moved around and dropped into the chair, instantly clicking and typing away. He took a breath and allowed the irritation gathered in him like hot steam to fizzle away. A smile claimed his features. This guy was one of the few non-techs at the company he liked. He was always respectful and nice, while most employees assumed the I.T. people had about as much personality or life as the machines they serviced. “Nah, it’s all good. Looks like there’s a slight conflict between your POP and SMTP settings.”

Harry lifted a brow quizzically.

Cal chuckled and shook his head. “Sorry. Basically, like before, Outlook has taken it upon itself to reset the parameters that allow your in-house mailbox to receive either in-house or out-house mail.”

“Ah.” Harry nodded, following up with a chuckle as well.

“I blame Microsoft and their security updates,” Cal said, pale-blue eyes on the screen, fingers typing away. “If they had a more solid operating system for the apps, such as a Linux-based OS, you wouldn’t get these kinds of conflicts as much. Anyway, that should be it. Go ahead and check, please.”

Cal stood aside, and Harold sat, clicking into his Outlook. The messages showed normally once more. He grinned. “Thanks, man!”

“No problem. Let me know if it takes another shit, huh?”

“Will do.”

Calvin exited, leaving the door open a slit, just as he found it.

\-----*-----

Lunch rolled around fast for Calvin. Always did. The best thing about working in the Information Technology field was that it would _never_ experience a shortage. The modern world was one fueled by tech. The second-best thing were the days seemed to race by due to the amount of work, Calvin thought. On this, he wouldn’t complain.

Whistling, he pulled his trendy jacket on, shook corn-silk hair from his eyes, and strode for the stairwell down to the lobby. Once there, he made his way towards the central, semicircular desk, his smile brightening. Three people were behind it. One was the security guard; the other two were receptionists. Calvin leaned to it, winking at the pretty, petite brunette.

“Hey, good-lookin’,” Calvin droned. “Ready for lunch?”

Iola Trammel (Starring Idrial the Barmaid) beamed a smile at him, grabbing her purse. “Yes.” She turned to the other receptionist, Cyrion, who’d already had his lunch break. “Be back in an hour.”

The elf nodded, eyes reeling between the couple. “Mm-hmm.”

Calvin and Iola left the building for a nice café down the block, their arms linked.

\-----*-----

Brianna crested the steps and crossed the second-floor landing of the 9th precinct. Down the hall and to the left, she entered a busy room of desks, some cubicles, and the lingering smell of old coffee and stagnant government-issue air freshener, a combination that screamed underpaid and overworked law enforcement establishment.

The criminal defense attorney knew what Officer Fweleth Hurn looked like from his personnel record, something rather easy to come by when one had the right resources. She skimmed the room until she saw him standing in the break room entrance, laughing at something or other, coffee mug in hand.

Brianna licked her lips and went over, sidestepping a few people on the way.

“Officer Hurn?”

The elvhen man ceased his laughter and turned, eyes dropping to her. “Yeah, that’s me? What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if I could talk to you about the report you filed for the coffee house shooting.”

Fweleth immediately stiffened, and Brianna noticed. He sipped his coffee, then set it on a counter. “I’ll catch you fellas later,” he spoke to the of group officers he’d been joking around with, then fixed his eyes on Brianna. “Over here.” He led her a short way down the hall, scanning about quickly. “Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Brianna Trand. I provide legal counsel for the courthouse.”

“And what exactly do you want to know about the case, Miss Trand? It’s been closed last I heard, the shooter caught.”

“Thing is, _Mr._ Hurn, is that I don’t think Corrigan Ashby shot those people. He’s irrefutably tied to the Dematori, but based on the evidence and line of logic, I’d say certain elements of your report are flawed.”

Officer Hurn’s features reddened vaguely, and certainly not with a blush. No, it was a clear sign of infuriation. His whole body went tight, lips peeling back over his teeth in a snarl. “Look, lady, you need to run along about your business. The case is closed, and I have no more to say about it. Certainly not to you.”

Brianna lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, spinning to watch him hurry away, feeling nearly elated to discover that he obviously hid something. The dwarf made her way down to her car. She itched to get back to her office at the courthouse and rake through the copy of the case report again. Perhaps, she’d find other leads to explore.

\-----*-----

A short while later, Brianna got to her office and dropped in the chair behind the desk. She bent and pulled the bottom left drawer all the way out. The copy was kept in the very back, normally, but it was gone. Frowning, Brianna reached in as far as she could, hand swiping nothing but emptiness.

“Brianna.”

She jumped in her skin and sat up quickly. “Collin.” The detective stood in her doorway looking more serious than usual. “What is it?”

“District Attorney Paige wants you in her office now.”

“Why?”

“Let’s just go, please. I don’t want to keep her waiting.” Collin beckoned at her.

Brianna followed him out, their footsteps tapping faint tones as they made their way down the hall. They started up the steps to the second floor.

“Collin, do you know what this is about?”

“Yes,” he said stiffly, “and I warned you to keep out of it, Brianna.”

The dwarf let his words sink in while they made their way to the D.A.’s spacious office. An assistant occupied a desk in the alcove outside the office. She nodded and gestured for them to enter.

District Attorney Cynthia Paige (Starring Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast) examined Collin and Briana sternly from behind her desk. “Shut the door. This won’t take long.”

Brianna went further in, and Collin closed the door.

District Attorney Paige sat back in her chair, long fingers pressed together in a steeple. “Mrs. Trand, I believe you were advised to dissolve all interest in the coffee house shooting, since it has been solved, yet here you are doing just the opposite. I assume you went to the ninth precinct to see Officer Hurn.”

“I…um…” Brianna summoned a frown, taking a step closer to Paige’s desk. “How do you know that? Did you have me followed or something?”

Cynthia’s eyes swept briefly to Collin.

Brianna spun to him. “You’re following me around now?”

“Per the District Attorney’s orders.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re digging around where you don’t need to,” Cynthia answered calmly, her gaze icy. There’s nothing left to investigate. The shooting was an act of domestic terrorism committed by a member of the Dematori, proven by the evidence.”

“With all due respect, ma’am, I don’t think the evidence is solid,” Brianna said. “There are inconsistencies that suggest—”

“Let it go, Mrs. Trand.” Cynthia’s eyes leveled on the dwarf. She tilted her head. “You enjoy your job, don’t you? Working here at the courthouse on behalf of Glorindrac and Steelcoat? You love being a lawyer, yes?”

“Of course, I do,” Brianna breathed.

“Then, I suggest you take my advice and leave this sleeping dog to lie, counselor. If you so much as peek in the direction of this case again, I will have you removed from the courthouse _and_ inform your employers of your less than satisfactory conduct. Do you understand me?”

“I…uh…yes, yes, I understand,” the dwarf said softly, eyes wide and confused.

“Good, now get out of my office. Both of you.”

Collin turned to open the door, waiting until a somewhat dazed Brianna slipped out before doing so himself. They got halfway down the corridor, and Brianna stopped.

“What the hell is going on?” she stared up at him.

Detective Richardson sighed. He didn’t speak for a few seconds, looking like he wanted to answer her question, yet reluctant to do so. “Nothing…and if you’re smart, Brianna, you’ll move past this and leave it be.”

He aimed his eyes down the hall, pivoted, and stalked off, leaving Brianna there to smooth over her frazzled nerves.

\-----*-----

Nazlie leaned into F.J., making him fall back against his locker door. The lovely young woman gripped his shoulders, tipping her face up to kiss him. A mischievous grin claimed her features, and she pulled back.

“I can’t wait to see you at the party later.”

F.J. returned her grin. “I should be there around eight.”

“Me too. Talk to you later.”

“Later.”

They kissed again, then F.J. was watching her head off down the hall for her own locker. A moment later, both Ketak and Luke moved in to either side of him.

“Dude, I am so fucking jealous,” Luke huffed. “What I wouldn’t give to kiss her. What does she taste like?”

F.J. smirked, shaking his head. He loosened a chuckle and shrugged. “Like fruit. Probably her lip gloss.”

“I’ll bet.” Luke smiled and sighed.

“So, we are meeting up at your place by eight, since your dad’s driving us over?” Ketak asked.

“Yep,” said F.J.

“It’s gonna be lit, bros! Our first senior party!” raved Luke.

The trio of friends laughed, heading for their bus.

\-----*-----

Finn made it home just as Ariel finished cleaning up, switching on the dishwasher. She smiled across the island at him when he entered the main room. Adaku sat on one of the couches holding Darr and watching _Chopped_ on Food Network.

“You almost made it in time for dinner, hon,” Ariel said, meeting him halfway for a hug.

Finn issued a robust groan, burying his face in her hair. “Damn traffic.” He pulled back to smile down, nostrils flaring as he inhaled the lingering food aroma. “Smells like steak.”

Ariel giggled. “Chicken-fried steak. And potatoes, fresh green beans, and carrots.”

“Mm. Mouth is watering.”

“It’s really only good when it’s freshly cooked, and I have yours ready to go in the fridge. Just need to fry them up.”

“I’ll go change then.” Finn kissed her and moved off, only to spin back to his wife. “F.J. upstairs?”

“Uh-huh.” Ariel drifted around the kitchen preparing his food, smiling. “He’s getting ready.”

Finn chuckled lowly. “I’m sure he’s really looking forward to the party.” He spared a look to the clock on the kitchen wall, then grinned sensuously at Ariel. “Still got about an hour and a half before I drop him off. More than enough time for a quickie.”

“Um…you do realize I can hear you, right?” Adaku voiced from the couch, shaking her head.

“And _you_ do realize that doesn’t bother me, right, honey?” Finn’s eye narrowed amusedly at his daughter. “Your mother and I have been doing what we do long before you were born. How do you think you even got here?”

“Dad! Please! Ugh!”

He wrangled up rich laughter, then winked at Ariel, who blushed by the stove, and slipped away upstairs.

\-----*-----

“Dad!” F.J. hollered up the stairs. The teenager stood by the front door with Ketak and Luke looking slightly impatient. He thumbed the home button on his phone, and the lock screen lit up showing a photo of him and his two best friends, hands posed with peace signs, faces draped with carefree smiles. F.J. was more concerned with the time, which was displayed below the picture. “It’s 7:58!”

It seemed Finn and Ariel did get that “quickie”, leaving both Darr and Kitt downstairs to watch cooking shows with Adaku, the girl not even bothering to question her parents’ anxious readiness to leave the young ones in her temporary care. This was what they did when they wanted to jump on each other, have either Ada or F.J. babysit, if they were available.

Freshly showered, wearing jeans, a baby-blue t-shirt with a unicorn on it stretched over his solid, muscular torso, and a pair of Chucks, Finn descended the steps. “Looking suave, guys.”

“Thanks, Mr. Taurus,” said Luke and Ketak.

F.J. lifted a brow. “I’m not even going to ask why you’re grinning so hard.”

“Good. Let’s go.” Finn chuckled and smacked his son’s shoulder. He turned his smile up to Ariel, who stood at the top of the steps in her robe.

“Have fun, sweetie!” she called as they slipped out the door. “Your father will be there at one-thirty to pick you all up! No later! Love you!”

“Okay, mom!”

The door closed.

Finn headed for the garage, the three teens following.

“You’d think I was leaving on a field trip to the moon, the way mom was going on,” F.J. said.

The Qunari shrugged, smiling at the young man. “She’s your mother. She will always worry for you, no matter how big the issue or how far you’re going.”

“I know.” F.J. opened the passenger door of the Audi TTS, let Ketak slip in the back, then climbed in the front seat, while Luke jumped in the back on the other side. Finn got behind the wheel. They buckled up. “It’s just, if she can’t even handle me going to a party fifteen minutes away, she’s gonna flip when it’s time for me to move out, you know, if I go to college.”

“ _If._ ” Finn turned the key, the high-performance car purring awake. “You don’t want to go?”

“I do, but it’s just all up in the air right now. I still have a few years to sort things out, don’t I?” F.J. grinned over at his dad.

“You sure do.”

The Audi backed down the driveway and into the street, pulling off for Jaderston Manors.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I do not own the image of actor and model Gabriel Mann


	8. Green Kick in the Party Pants

Tying the belt of her robe, Ariel settled on the couch beside Adaku and gently grabbed Darr from the girl’s arms. “Thanks for watching your brother and sister, honey.”

“No problem,” Ada replied, eyes fixed on the large flat-screen television mounted to the wall. The _Chopped_ marathon was still going.

Kitt put her crayons away and went to sit beside Ariel, hugging into her mother. Ariel and Kitt became just as enthralled by the cooking competition show as Adaku, getting quite caught up in it, while Darr was just happy being held. He too watched the show in silence.

The screen went black suddenly, transitioning the broadcast frequency to override all others on every TV on the entire planet. _Exclusive World News_ station. An elvhen woman in a dark purple suit sat behind a desk, images unfurling on the screen behind her as she spoke.

 _“We interrupt your regular broadcasting to deliver exclusive news from the Temple and our Lord Ares,”_ the reporter said, her voice crisp and articulate. _“Corrigan Ashby, the suspect taken into custody last week regarding the coffeehouse shooting, has been found guilty on the charge of first degree murder and acting on behalf of the Dematori rebellion. As deemed by Lord Ares, Ashby will be executed tomorrow at noon outside the Temple. We now return you to your regular viewing.”_

 _Chopped_ popped back on, though they’d missed the last minute or so.

“God,” Adaku said breathily, shaking her head. It had been several months since anyone was executed. She figured it was probably time, though she’d never get used to the uncensored public killings, carried out by Ares himself. It would be open to the masses who wished to see it live as well as aired on every channel worldwide.

Ariel took a long, deep breath. The executions had been going on for as long as anyone could remember, a reminder from the One True God that rebelling against him meant death. She and Finn would do what they always did when the executions aired. They’d turn off the TVs and make sure their children didn’t watch.

“Is Ares going to kill that man, mommy?” Kitt asked, bright eyes fixated on Ariel.

The woman blinked a few times, licking her lips. Hearing those words slip from the lips of a child—and so nonchalantly—chilled her. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Well…because…he’s with the bad people, the Dematori. They don’t appreciate the world Ares has given us and want to overrule him, so they are bad.”

“Oh.” Kitt nodded slowly.

That was the best answer Ariel could give. And it was the truth. No one defied the One True God. _No one_. It was unspeakable and blasphemous, for He was the Creator of their great world and all life. Everyone knew this, and if anyone still decided to rebel like the Dematori, then it must’ve been logical for them to die. The brainwashing job Ares bestowed upon the subjects of his world was quite air-tight.

“Well,” Ariel sighed, hugging Kitt close and lifting a loving smile, “let’s not linger on it sweetie. It’s about time for you to go to bed, so go and brush your teeth, okay?”

“Okay.”

Kitt climbed off the couch and ran for the stairs, bounding up to her room.

\-----*-----

The two guards on duty at the electronic gate examined as the Audi TTS pulled up slowly and stopped at the window of their roomy guardhouse with extra perks. Both sets of eyes raked over the elegantly sleek automobile, a sportscar for the family man.

Finn smiled at them. “Good evening. I’m here to drop my son and his friends off for a party.”

“The Glorindrac party. Yes, of course,” one guard said. The pale beam of his flashlight swept through the Audi’s interior, and he even took care to keep the light out of everyone’s faces. He finally smiled. “Okay. You fellas can go on in. If you need to park your vehicle at any time, sir, we ask that you do so on the golf course lot, which is straight ahead, can’t miss it. To get to the Glorindrac Manor, take the first left and the second right. It’ll be the house with all the people pouring in and out.” He chuckled softly.

Finn grinned. “Okay, thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Have a nice night, sir.”

“You as well.”

Finn pressed the button to roll his window up, then waited for the gate to slide aside. When clear, he drove into the very upscale neighborhood, navigating as directed by the guard. Once the Audi turned on the Glorindrac’s street, Finn drove slower, eye ahead. The party house sat at the very end of the cul-de-sac past four other houses.

The Qunari pulled over. “Okay, I’ll drop you here. I’m sure you don’t want to be seen with your old man hopping outta the car.” Chuckles resounded deeply from him.

“Nah, I guess that wouldn’t be too cool, pop,” mused F.J. “Thanks.”

“Yep,” Finn said, then got out so Luke could exit and join his friends on the sidewalk. “One-thirty, boys, meet me right here, yeah?”

They nodded.

Finn’s grin returned. “Right. Have fun.” He pulled off, using the nearest driveway to turn around, waving as he drove by.

F.J., Luke, and Ketak stared down the street at the Glorindrac house. Sure enough, several people hung around in the driveway and yard, some smoking out on the huge porch. The homes in this neighborhood weren’t set closely together, with an acre of space separating them, which was ideal since the teens could hear the party’s music from their position, faint but clear.

“Dude, is that a live band?” Ketak’s eyes roamed to his friends.

“One way to find out. C’mon, bitches!” Luke howled and started for the house.

The closer they got, the more intelligible the song became. “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit, done as a cover by whatever band played. A very well-done cover at that. They reached the sidewalk outside the house and stared at the establishment, with its modernistic design of stringent angles, many windows, landscape lighting, and neutral colors.

“Holy damn, this place is _huge_!” Ketak said, whistling.

F.J. bobbed a nod of agreement. “Right?”

Most of the other teenagers flooding in and out didn’t appear familiar, though F.J. recognized some students from Weisshaupt High sprinkled about. He skimmed casually for Nazlie but didn’t see her.

“C’mon. Let’s go inside. She’s probably already in there,” Luke said, noticing is friend’s search.

Up the walkway and the porch, further into the soiree. Speakers positioned around the house’s interior carried the live band’s performance throughout. The place was rather packed to be so early in the night. Most of the party-goers were probably looking to get in a nice night of drinking and premarital sex.

They moved into a sprawling main room that had a glass wall waterfall on one end, trickling artfully down into a rectangular pond set in the floor. A series of transparent horizontal panels formed a staircase to the upper floor. All the lights in the house had been toned down to make the flashing multicolored beams fixed across the ceiling seem more dramatic, making the atmosphere secretive and playful.

“Hey, dude! Hit this! It’s that good shit, yo!” Some random guy came from the crowd and held out a freshly lit joint to F.J.

The Qunari eyed the weed. He knew what it was but had never tried it before. Smiling, he waved a hand. “No, thanks!” He had to speak loudly over the music.

The guy shrugged and danced off, puffing his joint.

“Let’s go that way!” F.J. blared, pointing towards the back of the house.

Past some weird sculptures, stunning paintings, and stainless-steel surfaces they went. Through a huge kitchen where foods and drinks of all kinds had been placed on nearly every inch of counter space. Several sets of sliding doors led out to an enclosed backyard and pool with black tiling and soft lights running across the bottom. Some people played in the water. On the far side of the pool the cover band thrashed away on a stage complete with lights, a sound guy, and D.J. who would take over for the band later. The whole package. To the right, set closer to the ten-foot stone wall, was the pool house, so big it probably served as a guest house too. It also bustled with people.

“Finn!”

All three of them turned to see Nazlie coming, fighting to keep their tongues from dragging the ground due to hormone induced horndog hysteria. The beautiful young woman’s dress reached down to her knees, but it was so form-fitting that it was easy to imagine her without it on at all. She also wore a pair of strappy heels.

Pleased with their response, Nazlie offered a demure smile, then moved into to wrap arms around F.J.’s neck and kiss his chin. “See something you like?” she purred in his ear.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Good.”

Luke and Ketak stared at them for a moment, then Luke smacked Ketak’s arm. “Hey, let’s mingle. We’ll catch back up with you later, bro,” he said to F.J.

F.J. nodded and watched them disappear into the crowd. He allowed strong arms to link about Nazlie. “This party is pretty cool. Band’s awesome.”

“Right? This is my first time at one of Fimor’s parties. No one can argue he knows how to throw down.”

“Where is he—Fimor, that is?”

“I’m not sure,” Nazlie vocalized loudly so she could be heard. “I saw him earlier. Want me to introduce you?”

“Nah, it’s not necessary.”

The young woman giggled, turning back towards the house. She took his hand. “C’mon!”

“Where are we going?”

“To get something to drink!”

(*)

Finn parked the Audi along the curb out front of his house. He walked through the door into a mostly quiet environment, though he had at least expected to hear Darr running around and shrieking. Being that it was close to nine, the toddler had probably worn himself ragged and become tired. Finn entered the family room to see Ariel sitting on one of the couches holding Darr, the boy silent and droopy-eyed.

“Did you find the house okay?” she asked.

“Yes. Those places are mansions. Must cost several million.” The Qunari lowered next to her, his arm draping her shoulders, lips brushing her snowy temple.

“Oh, I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“You okay, babe?”

“I’m fine.” Ariel drew her gaze from the TV to settle on him. “Ares has decided to execute that Corrigan Ashby fellow tomorrow at noon.”

“Hm.” Finn nodded. He didn’t like the public killings any more than she did, but he did feel they were probably necessary. Ares was the law, and in their world, believing one was greater than the law could be a deadly mistake. “Hopefully, it’ll be swift.”

“Yes…hopefully…” Ariel leaned her head against him.

\-----*-----

Back over at the party, Nazlie grabbed a cup, then ladled some pale greenish-blue liquid with lime slices bobbing through it. Three other such large bowls of “punch” were placed on other counters for easier distribution. She handed the cup to F.J.

He took it, sniffing. The stuff smelled kind of fruity. “What is it?”

“This one is called _Green Kick in the Pants_ ,” Nazlie said, the girl about ready to laugh at the look on his face, one of his dark eyebrows arched suspiciously at the drink. “Go ahead and try it.”

“Is it alcoholic?”

“Duh?” She chuckled, hugging against him a moment.

“I’m…not much of a drinker.” Finn Junior smiled nonchalantly at her.

“Just drink it, silly. You’ll like it.”

Peer pressure. Hell of a thing.

F.J. tilted the fancy plastic cup this way and that, studying the brew inside. He finally shrugged, put the cup to his lips, and sipped. It didn’t taste half-bad. In fact, he found the flavor of tangy blue-raspberry and sour apple pleasant.

“Good, huh?” Nazlie grinned.

“Mm. Yeah.” He knocked back a large gulp, then coughed a bit.

“Be careful, hon. Don’t let the fruity taste distract you from the fact that there’s still alcohol in it.”

He burped and grinned. “Right.”

“More?”

“Sure.”

She ladled him some more, then fixed herself a cup. “Let’s go sit.”

The young Qunari shrugged and let her lead him through the party, which was in full-swing now. Sip by sip and gulp by gulp, F.J. felt his body mellowing out, smoothing the edges back. Nazlie took him to a spot in the huge main room where a fire burned lowly in the two-way hearth; he clearly saw the next room on the other side. The house was amazingly designed. Lana, Zoreal, and Beth—Nazlie’s girl clique—were all sitting around in the area on couches with their boyfriends.

“Hey, Finn!” They greeted him.

“Sup.”

And this is where F.J. found himself for nearly the next hour, sitting and talking with Nazlie and her crew, exchanging stories, drinking… _but_ passing on the weed when it came his way.

\-----*-----

“Dude, I don’t know if I’m feeling this scene,” Ketak said to Luke. Both boys had found seats at a table around the pool and were observing and listening to the band. The Qunari ran a hand restlessly over his hair.

Luke seeped a laugh. “Man, you just have to get in there.”

“Easy for you to say. You’ve danced with two chicks already.”

“That’s because I _applied_ _myself_.” Luke smacked his shoulder, then nodded down the way to a pair of girls, neither of which looked familiar, probably from a different school. “Look. The one on the right’s been eyeing you.”

Ketak’s eyes flew to the girls, and they immediately smiled at him. He offered a crooked, boyish grin in return.

“Go on over, dude,” Luke urged.

“No, I don’t think I can.”

“What! Seriously, yo! Get the fuck over there!” The music was loud enough to drown out Luke’s words for anyone not right by him.

Ketak sighed. “Um…”

“Go, dude!”

Manning up, Ketak straightened the collar of his shirt and rose from his chair. He started over. Luke followed, staying just behind him, ready to step in if his buddy froze.

“Um…hey.” Ketak waved and smiled further at the girls.

“Sit next to me, cutie,” said the one who’d been watching him, a human with pixie-cut brunette hair and pert features.

Ketak did as she said, and Luke took the initiative, sitting beside her friend.

“Evening, ladies,” Luke droned. “Name’s Luke, and this fine fellow is Ketak, the smartest guy you’ll ever meet.”

They giggled.

Ketak blushed but was happy to have Luke kicking off introductions.

The girl next to Ketak spoke up, “I’m Aeolian, and this is Chandra. What school are you guys from? You’re definitely not from Penberthy. We would know.” She gave Ketak an unmistakably seductive glance.

“We go to Weisshaupt,” Ketak answered, feeling loose enough to at least say that.

“Good school,” Aeolian said, still eyeing him with fire in her gaze. “You want a drink?”

“Oh…I…I don’t drink—”

“—this early in the party,” Luke finished up the sentence for his friend. He didn’t want the girls to see them as lame. If they played their cards right, tonight might be the night they got lucky. “But let’s talk a little first, then me and Chandra here will go get us all something to sip on, yeah?”

“Sounds good to me!” Aeolian beamed.

Ketak sent small daggers at his friend, gulping. He really didn’t want to drink underaged. He told his parents he’d be good and responsible. It looked like he’d at least be taking a sip tonight though.

\-----*-----

In another part of the house, F.J. had gotten a nice little buzz. He’d had liquor before, sneaking into his mom and dad’s stash once or twice. It usually tasted like garbage, but the _Green Kick in the Pants_ was made bearable by its array of fruity deliciousness. It was so good, in fact, that he’d just finished off a third glass.

And with alcoholic consumption came the frequent need to—

“I need to head to the restroom,” he said and stood. “Excuse me.”

“I think there’s one over that way, hon,” Nazlie said with a grin, slender finger pointing off past the enormous kitchen.

“Thanks.” F.J. felt slightly floaty, extremely mellow. And a little amorous. His eyes raked slowly over Nazlie. He clearly smelled her perfume over all other scents cluttering the air. She knew he wanted her and tossed a sexy smile his way.

F.J. drew a calming breath and turned for the toilet.

The band had gone into a break, and the D.J. now provided music for the party. A rave-flavored tune filled the house. Paired with the slow flashing multitude of lights tracked across the ceiling, it further pushed F.J. into a lackadaisical state, as if that moment in time would never move and youth would be forever his, a great and overwhelming feeling of euphoria. That, of course, could be primarily attributed to the drink. Buzzed but far from sloppy, annoying, dangerous drunk. He was fun-drunk.

Through the constantly bustling and dancing bodies he moved, taller and bigger than most. He reached a short, wide hallway with three doors. The first one he opened revealed a closet. He went to the one after and saw it slightly opened, soft light falling into the hall. F.J. pushed it open and stopped, blinking.

Two teen dwarfs, a male and female, were inside. She bent over the counter with a tube to her nose, inhaling a line of cocaine, while he leaned to the wall smoking a cigarette. Mona finished her line, tossed her head back, and sniffed, rubbing her nose. Her eyes met F.J.’s in the mirror, surprise dangling upon her face, which she quickly cleared up.

“Finn,” she said.

“Hey, Mona…” He was just as nonplussed to catch her doing drugs. He’d heard she was going through some things but had no idea it was _this_ bad.

“How do you know him?” the male dwarf asked sharply, eyes narrowing at F.J.

Mona rolled her eyes. “Chill, babe. He’s my next-door neighbor. I’ve known him longer than you. Anyway, we’re done here,” she said to Finn. “It’s all yours, and I’d appreciate if you kept this to yourself, huh?”

“Yeah, sure…”

“Thanks.” Mona grabbed the other dwarf’s hand and pulled him from the bathroom.

\-----*-----

That whole encounter rattled F.J. He’d always seen Mona as a friend and had hung out with her plenty of times, seeing as their two families often held barbeques and get-togethers in each other’s backyards. She’d gotten more distant the last couple of years, since she’d adopted her “gothic” style. It was a shame to see she’d resorted to drugs. At least the hard ones. F.J. wouldn’t have felt as freaked out if he walked in on her smoking a doobie.

Once he finished in the bathroom, he returned to the area where he’d left Nazlie. She wasn’t there.

“She said to meet her upstairs,” Beth reported, grinning.

“Oh, okay.” F.J. spun about slowly. He met eyes with Luke across the room, who sat with Ketak and two girls, all of them laughing and talking. Luke gave him a big grin and thumb’s up. F.J. acknowledged with an up-nod and smile, then moved to find Nazlie.

He reached a rise of steps and followed them up to an open second-floor plan. Semi-opaque panels formed a barrier that wrapped around, allowing an unhindered view of most of the downstairs spaces. Once again, F.J. found himself trying random doors, two of which were locked. He came to another door, wrapped his knuckles, got no answer, and opened it.

Nazlie sat on one of the two full-sized beds inside, long legs crossed. The clean, plainly decorated space served as a guest room. The young woman leaned back, waving him over. “What took you so long?”

Anything and everything else that might’ve occupied F.J.’s brain dissipated. Every shred of his attention focused on Nazlie now. Languid and loose due to the liquor, he roamed forward and sat beside her. She scooted right against him, caressing his cheek, then stroking up and over one of his horns.

Before F.J. realized what was happening, Nazlie eased him to his back and draped herself over him, pressing their lips together. His body responded in moments, making her purr a giggle. F.J. could hardly believe it was happening. He’d dreamed of it most nights and daydreamed about it during class. The music and sounds of the party faded to the background until the sound of his own heart beating thrummed in his head, sending blood rushing to all parts of him. He immersed himself in her kiss, happy to let her lead. His arms linked around her, hands caressing downward until they reached her firm bottom, squeezing.

They continued this way for several minutes, things heating up by the second.

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: F.J sitting alone on the bed in the guest room at the Steelcoat home]

The young Qunari man’s grin loomed wide and excited, hands clasped in his lap.

“I cannot believe…this…is _happening!_ Like, seriously! I’m totally scared but, well, that’s normal, right, for someone’s who never done it before?”

He trembled a rich chuckle, and it sounded like his father’s, only younger and less seasoned.

“I’m finally gonna get some, and from Nazlie Ozishok! Definitely not bad for a first time.”

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

Oh, yes. Things had heated up quickly. Nazlie had coaxed F.J.’s shirt off so she could get an unhindered look at his chest, arms, and abdomen. Built like his father though not quite as big yet, she greedily observed the firm, toned muscles rippling beneath smooth, dark-gray skin. Nazlie’s touch roamed all over him, one hand inching to his erection, grabbing it through his jeans.

She nibbled her lip seductively, eyes linked to his. “Looks like you really want me, huh?”

“Mm-hmm.” A nod.

Nazlie could tell he was nervous. “Have you ever hooked up before?”

“Well…” F.J. started, trying to sound as casual as possible, “if you don’t count the times I hooked up with myself, then no.”

Giggles poured from her. “I figured as much. You’re so cute.”

He grinned. “So are you.” His arms tightened, and he meant to bring her to him for another kiss, keep the momentum going. He was all revved up, every switch and knob turned on, ready to go.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Nazlie’s warm breaths puffed against his lips. She smiled down at him. “Not so fast, big boy. If you really want me, then you won’t have any problems waiting, because it’s not happening tonight.”

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: F.J. alone on the bed again, features hung with a baffled, disappointed glower]

“Well, shit.”

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

As dispirited and sunken as he felt, F.J. managed to keep his demeanor smooth and collected. He sighed greatly, smiled, and nodded. “Guess I’ll be waiting then.”

Nazlie kissed him and scooted off, fixing her dress. She went to the mirror over the dresser and reapplied some lip gloss. F.J. pulled his shirt back on, glad his body below the belt was mostly back to normal. He stood by and waited for her to finish, then she grabbed his hand and led him back down to the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the party: “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc5iTNVEOAg


	9. A Good Day for a Barbeque

“Dude, smell my breath again!” Ketak had begun to panic. Again.

“It smells fine!” Luke howled as the three of them headed down the street for the rendezvous point with Finn Senior. They still had five minutes until 1:30. “I don’t smell any alcohol, geez!”

“Are you sure!” Ketak drank less than half a cup of some red-colored beverage, a few sips at most, which was far less than either Luke or F.J. had. “Do I look drunk? I feel drunk!”

F.J.—floating on his own lazy cloud but quite calm and in control—chuckled at his friend. “O-M-G, chill, dude! You’re making it worse by freaking yourself out. We all gurgled with Listerine. We’ll be fine.”

“Your dad’s sitting down there,” Luke said.

The three of them picked up the Audi’s shape hunkered in the shade of a tree that was probably very picturesque during the daytime.

F.J. shot Ketak one last look. “Just hold it together. In half hour, you’ll be in bed and sleeping off that tiny sip you had.”

Luke laughed.

Ketak sent him a side-smirk, elbowing him.

As they reached the car, Finn got out and flipped the front seat forward. Luke silently moved around him and settled in the back. F.J. let Ketak in on his side, then got in. Finn settled behind the wheel and waited for the teens to buckle their seatbelts before starting for the main gate of Jaderston Manors. His eye slinked around for a moment at F.J., catching glimpses of the other two guys in the back, Ketak appearing somewhat worried.

Out the gate went the Audi.

A smile bloomed on Finn’s face, followed by hearty chuckling. “Did you boys really think throwing mouthwash on top of whatever you drank would hide it from me? _Now_ you smell like minty winos.”

“Dad…”

“Ah, just save it, son. I ain’t mad. Figured you'd get into a little something at the party.” Finn’s prominent brow hunkered into a serious, frigid line. “No drugs, though, right?”

“No!” F.J. quickly shook his head, mind rewinding to the moment he opened that door and saw Mona snorting blow.

“No, sir!” Ketak piped.

“Nope!” Luke shook his head as well.

“Good,” Finn said, his eye on the road. “I won’t tell your mother, Junior, but you might wanna slip through the back door if you want to avoid her tonight. She was still up when I left to get you boys. Her human nose isn’t as keen as ours, so she may not smell it on you. She’ll see it, though. The look on your face says it all.”

“Oh…shit.”

Finn glowered, smirking. “Language.”

“Sorry.”

“Mm.”

\-----*-----

Finn made sure Ketak got home, pulling off only after the young man shut the front door after him. Luke came home with them, stating that his parents knew he would be staying at F.J.’s house for the night.

When they got to the Taurus home, Finn went in first through the front, sending F.J. and Luke to the backyard to use the sliding doors. The intention was for him to distract Ariel, if she lingered downstairs.

And she did.

When Finn exited the wide corridor into the family room area, he found her standing by said sliding doors with her arms crossed staring at her son and his friend, both of whom grinned weakly on the other side of the glass.

Finn knew he wouldn’t be able to cover for F.J. then. The boy was on his own.

Ariel waited until the teens were inside, her slipper-covered foot tapping. Her brow rose slowly. “Have you been drinking?” Azure-ice eyes jotted between F.J. and Luke.

The young men exchanged looks swiftly, before F.J. started, “Well…um—”

“—we might have had a sip or two—” Luke picked up.

“—small sips, yeah—”

“—but definitely not enough to get drunk, Mrs. Taurus,” finished Luke.

He and F.J. stared at the woman, her gaze narrowed.

Ariel shook her head, making her messy but attractive white ponytail sway back and forth. “It’s late. Just go on upstairs and go to bed. We’ll pick this back up in the morning.”

“M’kay, mom.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

F.J. and Luke hurried from sight, the half-Qunari teen tripping over a chair in his haste to get upstairs. Ariel smirked after them, then turned to stare up at her husband.

“You knew they’d been drinking, and were going to try and sneak them past me, hm?”

“Well, honey…” Finn scratched his head. “They had a little, sure, and you have to figure they’d probably get into something at the party.”

“That’s no reason to condone it, Finn.” She turned, stalked across the room, and flipped the lights off, moving for the steps.

Finn followed. “I don’t condone it. I’m only saying boys will be boys.”

She turned around suddenly to glare at him halfway up the steps. “Yeah, and if Adaku pulled something like this, you’d throw a big fit, lecture her, and threaten to lock her in her room until she’s thirty. You need to be stricter with F.J. and stop treating him like he has no boundaries. You also need to stop treating our oldest daughter like a little girl. You can be so sexist sometimes.”

She spun and continued upstairs, moving down the hall for their room.

“What? I am not sexist.”

“Oh, really? Is that why you’ve never pushed me to go back to work, so content to keep me home squeezing out your babies?”

Finn blinked. “Um…where is this coming from?”

“I’m going to bed.”

“Okay…”

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: Finn sitting on the couch in the living room, the lights down low]

He leaned back and sent his single eye up the stairs, the house quiet and dormant in the dark, early morning hours. He faced forward and shrugged massive shoulders.

“Well, that was unexpected,” he said softly, then stared off thoughtfully a moment. “I’ll just chalk it up to some woman hormone thing.”

“ _Come to bed now, Finn!_ ”

The Qunari cringed and looked at the stairs running along the wall behind him. He faced forward again. “If you don’t hear from me in twenty-four hours, send a search and rescue team,” he whispered.

Sighing, the horned man rose from the couch and crept upstairs.

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

Not wanting to face the wrath of Mrs. Taurus, Luke vacated the premises just before six-thirty, slipping out the back and going three streets over to his house. An hour later, Ariel awakened to Darr’s dribbling and babbling on the baby monitor. She was used to her younger children’s schedules and had Darr’s toasted Ego waffle and fruit ready in ten minutes.

Now, the toddler sat in his high chair nibbling away.

Ariel decided to make waffles from scratch for the rest of the family, standing at the counter in her pajamas, hair pulled back, whisking at batter, the waffle iron heating up.

Wearing bed pants and a t-shirt, Finn entered the family room. He observed her for a few moments, then headed over, leaning to the counter. The Qunari tugged on an apologetic smile. “Still mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at all.”

“Hm.” One of his dark brows arched. “Well, the way you’re whisking the hell outta that batter, I kind of get the feeling that you are, honey.”

Ariel huffed and set the bowl down. “I’m just irritated, Finn. It’s like every time I try to assert rules that apply to all our children, you openly let F.J. circumvent them, then use the ‘he’s just being a boy’ excuse to justify it. And _then_ I come out looking like the grouchy one because I confronted him, while _you_ just keep on being the cool one who treats him like a best friend rather than a son.”

The woman flipped open the double waffle iron, ladled some batter in, and closed it. The hot metal sizzled faintly, drizzles of smoke rising from it.

Finn nodded, considering his response. “I hadn’t realized I was doing that, sweetheart, until you brought it up last night, and I promise to be stricter with him. I just figured as our eldest, he was entitled to later curfews and a little leeway on some things.”

“Like underaged drinking?” Sarcasm tightly enclosed her words.

“No, honey. There’s no excuse for that, even if he only had a little…”

“He still did it.”

“Yes, you’re right—”

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: Finn on the living room couch, refreshing rays of daylight pouring through the bank of windows to his left]

The Qunari leaned closer to the camera, sparing the quickest glance to the right to make sure Ariel wouldn’t hear.

“You know, when you’ve been in a relationship with someone for fifteen plus years and that person happens to be a woman—or a very delicate man—you eventually learn that arguing with them is an ineffectual use of time because you just can’t win. You’d have an easier time trying to scoop the ocean dry one cup at a time.”

He leaned back and relaxed, smiling warmly.

“Still, even with being on the ‘losing’ end of most disagreements, I wouldn’t trade in what Ariel and I have for anything. She’s quite amazing.”

He nodded several times, eye drifting sideward, its sky-blue clarity brimming with love.

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

“—and I’m not disagreeing with you, _Kadan_ ,” Finn continued. “I’ll do better, promise.”

He eased around the large granite-topped island, hands gripping her waist, lips tickling a hot trail down her neck.

Ariel giggled. “You better.”

Being Saturday, the household took extra time to fully awaken. Ariel finished the waffles and put them in the oven to stay warm. A short while later, she and the rest of the family sat at the table, save for Darr, who played with his toys nearby.

Ariel poured syrup on her waffle, then eyed F.J. on the right side of the table. “It’s good to see you’re not hungover,” she said almost too sweetly, her displeasure barely hidden.

F.J. finished chewing the bite in his mouth. He hadn’t been looking forward to talking with his mother until she calmed down, but knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid her for long. “I didn’t drink _that_ much, mom.”

“You were drinking at the party?” Adaku straightened in her seat and peered through her glasses with amusement at F.J. “Wow.”

“The fact that you drank anything at all tells me you lack discipline,” Ariel said. “Which is why you’re not going to anymore parties until summer break.”

“Seriously? That’s like three months away!” The teen protested.

Ariel’s eyes narrowed. “Seriously.”

F.J.’s eyes veered to his father, probably expecting Finn to jump to his defense somehow.

Finn shrugged matter-of-factly and sipped his coffee. _Mom the Great and Powerful_ had spoken. F.J. smartly remained silent, frowning at his plate. All he could think about were all the parties Nazlie would have to attend without him for the next three months. The young man ate a few more bites of his breakfast, then excused himself from the table.

\-----*-----

After some texting between himself, Luke, and Ketak, F.J. found out about the execution, a somber surprise since it was announced while they were at the party. Luke heard about it from his mom that morning. Knowing his parents wouldn’t watch it or allow him or his siblings to do so, F.J. left the house at 11:30 and headed to Luke’s. At least Ariel hadn’t grounded him.

The Humphreys were used to Luke’s closest two friends going in and out of their house randomly, which is why Mrs. Humphrey didn’t bat an eye when the Qunari teen slipped through the back door and strode by her for the living room.

“Hey, Mrs. Humphrey.”

“Hello, F.J.” Looking like she hadn’t slept well for a few days, the woman continued washing the dishes.

In the living room, F.J. plopped down on the couch next to Luke, who had it on Cartoon Network watching _The Amazing World of Gumball_.

“Sup, dude,” F.J. said.

“Sup.”

“Hey, is your mom okay? She looked kinda, I dunno, off.”

Luke shrugged, then smiled quickly. “Yeah, she’s fine. Just in one of her funks, I guess.”

“Ah.”

“So, are you stoked for the execution?”

F.J. chuffed. “I wouldn’t say stoked, no. I mean, someone’s going to die, dude.”

“It’s not like he doesn’t deserve it. Defy the One True God, you die. It’s that simple.”

F.J.’s head turned, and he stared at his friend a moment. “Kinda morbid, don’t you think?”

“I don’t see how. It’s simple. People who don’t want to suffer the wrath of our God shouldn’t stand against Him.” Luke shrugged again, then reached for a bowl of chips on the table, munching.

As the credits played out for the end of _The Amazing World of Gumball_ , the screen faded to black and the station was bypassed by a master frequency, which took over all the channels and stations on all televisions worldwide.

\-----*-----

No matter how many executions there were or how often they occurred (four or five a year on average), the turnout in the massive court outside the Temple was always packed with a few thousand. To those watching on TV it probably looked comparable to the crowd that gathered in Time Square for New Year’s Eve on the other side of the city.

Ares was a rather merciful god in most cases, doing what he could to accommodate the little people in his world, including hold executions on the weekends, since it allowed for many people to attend. As the millennia passed and people progressed in the world he’d cultivated like a master farmer tending to his land and livestock, Ares had managed to keep them in line. Some who attended the executions were curious and had never been to one, while most of those attending had been to previous executions and were avid believers in their One True God, quite happy to snitch on anyone who seemed like a Dematori sympathizer or non-believer.

That’s why it was important that no matter what opinions anyone had, they’d be wise to keep silent and live a “normal” life, where Ares was the only god. Finn Taurus was such a person, as were his wife and children. They had a very good life and thanked Ares every day for it.

Up inside the great black pyramid, the God of War stood at a huge polarized window that allowed one to look out and no one to see inside. All windows in the pyramid were like this. The god wore a dark, perfectly-tailored three-piece suit, his luscious mane curling down over his shoulders, beard and moustache trimmed. Smoldering brown eyes unflinchingly studied the high stone stage upon which Corrigan Ashby had just been escorted, his wrists and ankles bound by chains, forcing him to shuffle-walk towards his doom.

Once Grand Advisor Wilder, Prime Chancellor Cordone, and Mayor Mathias Bergman took their places on the far end of the stage from Ashby, Ares vaguely lifted his regal chin, eyes narrowing. It was showtime. Blue fire crackled down the length of his figure and he dematerialized.

\-----*-----

This wasn’t Trevor Rivaldi’s first attendance of a live execution, but he hoped—as he always did—that it would be the last one to ever occur. His gaze dragged slowly to observe the crowd bubbling around him, containing all types, kids and old people too, just some of the many blindly caught in the deceit. The high school history teacher was there not in support of the execution. He despised the One True God, a secret he carried tightly sealed, or he’d find himself up on that stage, its floor stained with scorch marks and old blood. Everyone else raging and hooting held a wild, cultish flare in their eyes, while his own gaze was privately sad and angry.

Ares suddenly appeared on the stage overlooking the huge crowd, large screens placed in the court to give those too far back a good view of everything. When the god spoke, his voice was amplified for all to hear, crisp and vibrant.

“Good people of Minrathous, welcome to the Temple. Your attendance for the eradication of this evil menace”—Ares gestured to a trembling, ragged Corrigan Ashby—“shows the full extent of your dedication to making our world a better place. For that, I truly thank you.”

Ares had done this many, many times. He smiled handsomely and remained silent for a while to let his subjects cheer, boo and curse the condemned, snap selfies and shots of him, or whatever. The god slowly lifted a hand to hush the crowd.

On cue, a guard came forward with a cordless microphone and held it up to Corrigan Ashby.

“Mr. Ashby,” Ares said, “you have been found guilty of murdering innocent people in an act of terrorism _and_ , more importantly, of being a member of the Dematori. Do you have any last words before your sentence of death is carried out?”

Formalities. As the world became more modern, Ares decided formalities were a good thing. They kept people fearing him, but also made him appear less ferocious and more of a savior. Just what he wanted. Of course, a thousand years ago, he would’ve just killed anyone immediately, not even bothering to give last words.

Corrigan finally looked over at the god, never having been in his presence. Ares watched him with no remorse, his immaculate eyes bereft of empathy, sympathy, or otherwise. Corrigan’s lip upturned a scowl.

“You know I didn’t kill those people. _You know it._ ” The man licked his lips, his throat parched. “But I am guilty of hating you and everything you stand for. You’re no One True God. You’re a fraud. You’re _nothing._ One day the world will see it.”

Boos rose from the crowd, as well as some very bad names tossed at Corrigan.

Ares coolly studied the man. He’d heard it all before, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was he was as powerful as he’d ever been because of how intensely the people of Thedas believed in him. Four races, different in many ways yet united by one faith. Faith in the One True God. This was why Ares saw Earth as a doomed planet. Billions of people who already decided to separate themselves by skin color, class, and race, _then_ tossing a horde of religions on top of those prejudices to further divide. But not in his "new" world. Yes, there was still racism and such. That was just a people thing. But it became easier to control people when they all shared the same faith. One god, one religion.

The war god by trade lifted his hand, and it ignited with flames. “May your treachery serve as a lesson to deter any others that mean to defy me.”

Ares flicked his fiery hand at Corrigan.

The poor man instantly combusted, every inch of him shrink-wrapped in fire. He screamed terribly and performed an awkward dance along the stage, before dropping to his knees. The crowd cheered and roared, making Trevor think of a post-apocalyptic movie he’d enjoyed once where people hung on the outside of a grand, dome-shaped cage chanting _Two men enter, one man leaves! Two men enter, one man leaves!_ repeatedly until someone was brutally killed.

In this case, Corrigan Ashby was the unlucky victim.

Trevor shut his eyes against the man’s agonized wails. “I’m so sorry, my friend,” he whispered, then slipped from the feverish, bloodthirsty crowd.

Up on the stage, Corrigan toppled over, the clothes burning from his body, flesh incinerating from bone, until there was nothing left but smoking, ashen remnants, hot metal manacles, and chains.


	10. Luke's Dilemma; Mona's Secret; F.J.'s Decision

Corrigan Ashby. Reduced to a smoking pile of human cinder.

Mayor Mathias Bergman (Starring Magnus Bjorksen) had seen it all before. Half a dozen other times he’d found himself standing on that stage beside the Prime Chancellor and Grand Advisor, watching a grotesque display of execution. A necessary brutality, he supposed. That, however, didn’t mean he had to like it. The crowd always did though, the air charged with their dark excitement.

Mathias watched it all in silence, and when it was over, he sighed at Ashby’s remains, waited for Ares to vanish, then filed down from the stage with the Prime Chancellor and Grand Advisor.

Raymond’s deviously attractive features formulated a smooth smile, a very thin and faint scar slanting from his right eyebrow, across the bridge of his nose, and over his left cheek. Like his boss, he wore a very fine suit. When Mathias reached the bottom of the steps, Raymond gave him a firm, friendly smack on the shoulder. “Feels good to eradicate another piece of riffraff, doesn’t it, mayor?”

Mathias eyed him, shrugged, then nodded. On the other side of the huge stage, the crowd still surged, beginning to file out of the courtyard. “I suppose so.”

“Don’t look so glum,” Raymond said. “I’m sure today’s barbeque will lift your numbers at the polls come election time; the guy was a real douchebag, working with the Dematori, gunning down those innocent people, and he was caught on your watch. You could be looking at a landslide re-election.”

“Yes, maybe. Here’s hoping.”

Raymond chuckled and walked off, slipping on a pair of shades as he did.

Mathias watched after him. He didn’t like the man, and it showed through the sour twist of his lips, a scowl of disgust.

“I don’t like him much either,” came Marris’s distinguished voice.

Mathias turned partially, and she moved into view. Of Ares’s two higher up minions, the mayor clearly favored her more. He churned a tight smile. “I don’t see how you put up with him.”

Marris chuckled softly, indicating he walk with her. “It’s my job. Once you learn to tune out how self-centered and pompous he is, it’s not so bad.”

“Ah. At least I don’t have to work with the Prime Chancellor regularly. He makes me itch in places I can’t even reach.”

The Grand Advisor’s sharp, golden eyes widened faintly, and she laughed deeply. “He used to make me feel that way too.” She and the mayor shared a pleasant stint of silence sizing one another up. They’d never really spoken much, only doing what was expected of them as government officials and shepherds of the people in the name of their One True God. Marris had always found the mayor to be a very dignified man with a clean record and proclivity for getting others to like him. He reminded her of someone she used to know. “Would you…like to get a drink with me sometime?”

Mathias lifted a brow and found his head nodding. “Yes, okay. That would be nice. Are you doing anything later this evening?”

“It’s Sunday, Mr. Mayor. Is anyone truly doing anything today?” Marris replied, smiling.

“I suppose not, Madame Grand Advisor.”

\-----*-----

Across the world, on millions of TVs, smartphones, tablets, and computers, Thedosians bore witness to the ultimate power of their god, watching Corrigan Ashby burn. And then life went on.

Regular scheduling resumed on the Humphrey’s living room television, blending right into whatever currently aired on Cartoon Network. Luke and F.J. stared silently at the screen.

“That’s so fucked up,” the half-Qunari said lowly.

“Yep, it is.”

F.J. sighed. His thoughts switched from the execution to Mona. The drugs. He’d promised her he wouldn’t say anything, but he felt the dutiful thing would be to let someone know. She was going down a very dark road.

The sound of a closing car door came from outside, and Luke straightened on the couch, half twisting in the direction of the front door. The door opened and Mylo Humphrey entered, shutting it behind him. He crossed the foyer, moving into view. The smile he gave the teens didn’t appear to be a particularly happy one at all.

“Hey, dad,” Luke said.

“Hey, son. Finn.”

“Hello, Mr. Humphrey.” F.J. felt a bit out of place, like he was part of a scene in a play and the only actor who didn’t know his lines. His gaze shifted between his best friend and Mylo.

Mrs. Humphrey suddenly appeared from the back of the house, shaking her head, her face carved in anger. “So, you’re just going to start spending the night with her now, is that it?”

Mylo sighed. “Don’t do this right now, Claudia. We have a guest.”

“I don’t care! I don’t fucking care!” She flailed her arms wildly.

The man sighed, spun from her, and hurried up the stairs.

“Don’t you walk away from me, you fucking, worthless, cheating asshole!” Claudia chased after him.

Luke turned off the television, remaining on the couch, staring forward, listening to his parents going back and forth upstairs.

F.J. understood now why his friend had been acting weird the past few weeks. He was dealing with some very serious shit at home. “This is why you haven’t wanted me and Ketak to come over lately. I’m sorry, bro.”

“It’s whatever.” Luke shrugged and ran a hand over his wavy auburn hair. As much as he wanted to pretend he wasn’t fazed, F.J. saw how much Luke’s parents’ fighting hurt him. “I guess this has been a long time coming. My dad’s a good guy, but he’s a douche who can’t keep it in his pants. Remember that time in the fourth grade when my mom suddenly said I couldn’t go to Six Flags with you and Ketak?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s because she found out the night before that my dad was banging some secretary from his office.”

“Wow…”

Something fragile crashed upstairs. A lamp against a wall? Or perhaps a jewelry box through a mirror?

" _Are you fucking crazy! Seriously, you’ve lost your mind, woman!”_

_“The only thing I’ve lost is the last fifteen years of my life fucking with you! You’re a toxic leech who doesn’t care about anyone but himself!”_

_“Oh, please. Just stop and listen to yourself, Claudia. It’s_ you _who has been leeching off_ me _all these years! This house and everything you have was bought with my money.”_

_“And I’m going to enjoy getting half of it, you piece of shit! Can’t even keep your dick to yourself! You’d probably stick it in a bowl of soup if it were still warm! I hope the filthy damned thing falls the fuck off!”_

“Geez…” F.J. shifted uneasily on the couch. “Maybe I should go, man.”

“Nah. It’s pretty much over now.”

A few moments later, Mylo stomped down the stairs carrying a midsized suitcase, which he set by the door. The man went into the living room, and Luke got off the couch to face him. Claudia stood on the stairs glaring with teary eyes.

“Get out of my house! Get out!” she screamed.

Mylo took a breath and tuned her out, concentrating on Luke. He patted the young man’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, son. I’ll call you soon, okay?”

“Okay.”

Mylo nodded and turned away. He picked up his suitcase, opened the door, and left. As he pulled from the driveway, Claudia Humphrey dropped to the stair she stood on and cried harshly.

F.J. took that as his cue to finally leave. “I’ll catch up with you later, man.”

“Sounds good. I’m gonna stay with my mom through the rest of the weekend, so I’ll see you at the bus stop Monday.”

After F.J. exited the house as quietly as he could, Luke lowered beside his mother and hugged her close, reassuring her that everything would be okay.

\-----*-----

F.J. stared up at the ceiling in his room, laying on the bed with his earphones in listening to a Ben Folds Five song. The execution; Luke’s parents’ imminent divorce; Mona’s drug usage—those three dilemmas bounced around in his thoughts. The latter held the greatest weight, he believed, and he knew, after some deliberation, that he couldn’t just let it go.

The teen took his earphones out and left the room, heading downstairs. His mother sat in the family room with her best friend Juliana sipping on iced tea, while Darr toddled and teetered about playing with a few balloons.

Juliana Morales (Starring Josephine Montilyet) smiled and waved at F.J.

“Hey, Aunt Julie,” he said. He’d known Juliana since he was a little boy. She was one of Ariel’s best friends, pretty much family.

Juliana’s smile widened. “You’re going to be fifteen in a couple of weeks. Starting to see any gray hairs yet?”

F.J. laughed lightly. “Nope. Haven’t earned my silver fox status.”

“What are your plans?” Juliana pressed. “You know I could whip up the best party, if you want.”

“I haven’t had a party since I was twelve, Aunt Julie.” The teen rolled his eyes in good humor. “I’ll just be hanging out with my friends, maybe go see a movie.”

“I see. Well, whatever you decide to do, I hope it’s fun. Now that you’re older, you’ll take in more responsibility when your parents leave for Jamaica and help me watch Darr and Kitt.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” F.J. groaned. His mother and father would be leaving for the Seheron island territory a week after his birthday. He sighed and looked to Ariel. “Do you know where dad is?”

“He’s out back, sweetie.”

F.J. moved through the family room to the sliding doors and out to the stone tile patio. Kitt played in the yard, climbing in and out of the low-height treehouse. To F.J.’s left was Finn, wearing long shorts, a tank top, and sneakers, lifting weights. The huge Qunari’s biceps and triceps swelled and tightened as he exercised, legs apart for balance, face stamped with concentration, rivulets of sweat running down his brow.

Finn’s eye settled on his son. He finished the set, then dropped the weights to the padded workout space. He toweled his forehead off. “Hey, son. You need something?”

“Dad…” F.J. didn’t speak for a long stretch of seconds, and Finn saw him contemplating.

“Junior?”

F.J. sighed and sat on a bench. “What if you knew someone kind of close to you was into something bad and you wanted to help them by telling someone else about it, but you didn’t want to upset them in doing so?”

Finn sat beside him, speaking low as well. “What is it you want to say?”

“I promised this person I wouldn’t tell anyone, so you have to promise you won’t say anything if I tell you.”

“Hm. The way I see it, son, is you wouldn’t have come to me if you didn’t want help deciding how to handle things. With that being said, I won’t make that promise.”

“Dad, please.”

“Just tell me what’s bothering you.”

F.J. stared down at his hands. “It’s Mona. At the party, I walked into a bathroom and saw her doing drugs. She made me promise not to tell.”

“Oh…” Finn inhaled deeply, releasing it. Victor and Brianna were just getting their marriage back on track, and now they’d have to deal with this. “Damn. Are you sure of what you saw?”

“Dad, she had a tube in her nose sniffing white powder off the countertop. I’m no expert on illegal substances, but I’ve seen Scarface before and watched enough Breaking Bad to know drug use when I see it. Plus, she kind of looked out of it. I’m telling you it was cocaine.”

“Shit.” Finn sighed. “I have to tell her parents, Junior. You know that, right?”

F.J. nodded. “I know,” he voiced softly.

Father and son sat there encroached in an awkward silence. Awkward because F.J. knew Mona wouldn’t be happy to learn he’d blabbed to Finn about the cocaine, and because Finn felt uncomfortable talking about the subject with F.J. He had a lot of faith that his son would make the right decisions in life, and drugs was just one of those things that came in from nowhere. One moment your kid was a good student and doing seemingly well in life, and the next you were getting a call from the hospital saying they overdosed.

Finn stared worriedly at his hands.

“Dad?”

“Hm?”

“You okay?”

“Yes, why?”

“You just seemed zoned out for a moment.”

Finn tugged on a very small smile, so small it seemed almost not to be there at all. “Yeah, I’m okay, son. Promise me you’ll never get into drugs.”

“I promise.”

Father and son shared a tender moment, each watching the other warmly. Finn’s smile widened, and he reached over to clamp a large hand in the boy’s curly hair, tousling it.

“Mommy, mommy!” Kitt ran by and through the sliding doors.

Finn and F.J., curious as to the girl’s excitement, followed her.

Ariel set her tea down, concern knitting her brow. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

Huffing and puffing, slender shoulders rising and falling, Kitt skidded to a halt by her mother and grinned. “Nothing, but my tooth is getting looser. See!” The six-year-old used her tongue to nudge at one of her front teeth, and it wiggled in the socket.

Ariel rained soft laughter. “Oh, I see! It’s almost ready to come out.”

“Then I can put it under my pillow for the Tooth Fairy!”

“That’s right, honey.” Ariel hugged the girl.

Finn smiled down at Kitt, one of his dark eyebrows rising. “If you don’t want to wait, I could just snatch it right out.”

Kitt gasped, her eyes simultaneously widening. “Nope!”

Finn laughed deeply when she ran off, her tight white ringlets bouncing behind her. The Qunari cleared his throat, and his features shifted more into seriousness. “Honey, can I speak to you for a moment in private?”

Ariel observed him curiously, then rose from her chair. “You mind watching Darr, Julie?”

“Of course not.” The caramel-skinned woman answered. “Take your time.”

Ariel and Finn went into the garage, and he told her what F.J. told him about Mona.

\-----*-----

Nervousness. Anxiety. Uncertainty.

Finn stood on his next door neighbors’ porch staring at the front door. He raised his hand for the doorbell and paused. Raised it again; paused again. He wasn’t sure how to tell Victor and Brianna about their daughter. This was one of those things no parent ever wanted to face.

The large, towering man drew a quick, deep breath and jabbed the doorbell. He waited a few seconds before the door opened.

“Hey!” Victor smiled up at him. “What’s up, man?”

Finn cleared his throat. “I need to talk to you, both you and Brianna. Is she around?”

Victor noted the flat tone and serious nature. “She’s out back in her garden. Is everything okay?”

“I don’t think so. Can I come in?”

“Yes, of course.” Victor stepped aside, allowing Finn entry.

The Qunari’s lone eye swung around as he followed Victor through the house. “Is Mona here?” he asked in a low voice.

“She’s out with a friend.” Victor turned to him, concern lighting his features. “Why? Is this about her?”

Finn’s pause was enough confirmation, but he issued a vague nod anyway.

“Oh my god, what’s happened?”

“Victor, can we just get Brianna first? Please?”

They exited the rear of the house into the yard, which contained a scenic pool. Brianna was on her hands and knees off to the left, surrounded by flowers. She heard them and turned, lovely face brightening into a smile, which was short-lived.

“Is something wrong?” the woman implied, setting aside the spade. She rose, dusted her knees, and went over.

Finn gestured for them to sit at the patio table, and once they did, he lowered his solid frame into a chair. “I need to tell you something about your daughter.”

The Trands stiffened and exchanged looks. Very concerned, anticipatory.

Finn could nearly smell their worry. He continued. “F.J. saw her at the party last night. He said he walked into a bathroom and caught her…” he sighed, “…doing drugs. Cocaine.”

“What! No!” Brianna’s hand flew to her chest. Her breathing escalated. She shook her head rapidly. “No! That can’t be right!”

Victor’s arm slid around his wife’s shoulders. The dwarf’s face had morphed into a vision of deeply cut sadness. “Is F.J. sure of what he saw? Maybe—maybe it wasn’t what it looked like.”

Finn nodded. “He’s sure.”

“Oh, god.” Brianna trembled, a small hand going to her now leaking eyes. “How could she do something like this? How!”

“Honey…” Victor said softly, trying to calm her. He closed his eyes a moment, thinking of his little girl.

“I’m so sorry to have to be telling you this,” said Finn. “Mona made F.J. promise not to tell anyone, and he came to me because he knows she needs help.”

“And we appreciate you coming right to us, Finn. Thank you,” Victor said, consoling his wife.

Finn finally stood. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I’ll show myself out.”

\-----*-----

That night in bed Finn lay on his back looking up at the ceiling when Ariel finally stepped from the adjoining master bathroom. Her fluffy white tresses were pulled up high on her head to keep them dry while she soaked. The woman had lathered on her moisturizer, brushed her teeth, and slipped on a little sleeping gown. Her gaze settled on Finn across the dimly lit room. The kids were all settled. Kitt and Darr asleep, F.J. and Ada in their rooms and possibly asleep.

Ariel climbed in bed and snuggled to her husband’s side. “You did the right thing telling them, honey.”

“Yeah, I know,” he answered softly. “I just keep on thinking: what if it were one of our children? That would be so…so…”

“Heartbreaking.”

“Yeah.”

Ariel closed her eyes and nuzzled his pleasantly warm skin. “I know, my love, and it’s terrible that Mona thought she needed to find escape with drugs. Luckily, she has both parents, who love her dearly and will be able to get her the help she needs. The best we can do is be there for our children and hope they understand that they can come to us with anything that troubles them.”

Finn’s great chest rose and fell slowly. His arm linked around her to keep her close, and he inhaled once more the fragrance of her bath bomb. She smelled like otherworldly floral and calming steam. “I think they’ll be okay. I know they will.”

Ariel produced a light smile, kissing his chest. “Me too.”


	11. Taunting an Angry Bull NEVER Ends Well

“Wow. Yep. I think this may just have sold me, love.”

Drake stood in the center of the large walk-in closet attached to the master bedroom. He and Harold currently toured the house they’d talked about last week with the realtor.

Harold chuckled from the doorway, watching his boyfriend. “Figures that _this_ is what sold you. You always did love your closet space.”

Maud S’rota grinned and nodded at the couple, her short set of horns poking through her pixie-cut hair. She was rather small for a Qunari female, and that was mostly because she was also half elf. The realtor moved further into the closet. “Believe it or not, I’ve seen many sales closed based on the size of master closets. The previous owner had some small upgrades and additions done to the home, to include this closet. The other is the small guest house out back.”

“Guest house?” Harold said. “That wasn’t mentioned in the description.”

“No,” Maud’s smile deepened. “We intentionally omit it so perspective buyers are surprised to find it here. It really is quite a bonus, considering it contains its own kitchen and bathroom.”

“The price of the house is right in our range,” Drake started, facing her. “Certainly, there must be some catch if it also includes a full guest house.”

Maud shook her head. “No catch, Mr. Perrigrin. It’s simply a perk, and the house, as you can see, resides in a very respectable neighborhood, close to a few great schools.”

“Hm,” Drake mused, going over to hug around Harold’s waist. “Everything seems great so far, love. I’m really liking it.”

“Good. Me too. Let’s look at the rest of the house and go from there, hm?”

“Okay.”

\-----*-----

Ariel, carrying Darr, stepped out of the house around 10:30 that morning. Juliana exited behind her and took the toddler, so Ariel could lock the door. All the other children were at school and Finn was at work. They were going shopping.

On the way to Juliana’s Explorer, Ariel’s eye caught movement down a few houses on the opposite side of the street. Two men hugging in the yard, the smaller human one seeming very excited, while the larger Qunari smiled lovingly at him and happily absorbed all the affection. The third person, a woman, stood by and watched them with a patient, content smile.

“Looks like you’ll be getting some new neighbors soon,” Juliana said, buckling Darr into the car seat she pretty much kept in her vehicle. She and Ariel always hung out, with Darr as their third, so it only made sense to keep a seat in the Explorer for him.

“Hm, it certainly does,” mused Ariel, observing. She smiled. “They look pretty nice. I hope they decide to buy it.”

“The girls on the block need something else to chat about, right?” laughed Juliana.

Ariel sent her a smile, climbing in the front seat. “Well, things do get boring around here. New neighbors would liven things up, especially a gay couple. They’d probably throw the best parties in the neighborhood.”

Juliana chuckled and started the car. She slowly drove by the house where Drake and Harold exchanged a celebratory kiss out front. They had decided to buy it.

\-----*-----

The fourth period bell resounded, and the halls of Weisshaupt High flooded with teenagers. Lunchtime. Some would get in their cars and drive to a dive for food, others would grab their bagged lunches, and the rest would simply eat in the cafeteria. F.J. couldn’t drive yet (one more year) and he hadn’t brought lunch to school since the fifth grade. He stopped at his locker to drop his books off, then headed towards the cafeteria to meet up with Luke, Ketak, and Nazlie.

As F.J. turned a corner, he stopped short and called out, but the girl ran into him anyway, letting out a yelp when her books tumbled to the floor.

“Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry,” Kylie Harris said softly, bending to gather her things.

F.J. smiled and waved a hand to still her, lowering to pick the books up, handing them over. “It’s okay.”

Kyle smiled dreamily at him, then quickly composed herself, clearing her throat. “Thanks. I-I’m Kylie. We have Environmental Science together.”

Finn Junior noticed his effect on her and kept to his disarming smile, nodding. Kylie was rather attractive, even with glasses and her shy demeanor. “Yes, I know.”

The young woman released a flustered, nervous laugh. “Oh, of course, you do. Well, thanks again.” She hurried off, blushing.

F.J. watched after her…until Nazlie moved into view before him, smirking thickly. “What’s up, babe?”

The beautiful Qunari just stared.

“Um…”

“Like you don’t know.”

F.J. thought for a moment, then smiled faintly. “You mean Kylie? She dropped her books, and I picked ‘em up for her. No biggie.”

Nazlie rolled her eyes. “Right.”

“What?”

“Seems like it was more than that, the way you were staring at her.”

He chuckled openly. “You’re jealous? Seriously? I can assure you that I only have eyes for you.”

Nazlie finally gave in and smiled, unable to resist that boyish charm. “You better.” She took his arm, and they started for the cafeteria.

Down the hall, Kylie watched from around the corner.

\-----*-----

As much as F.J. liked Nazlie, he would never fully choose her over his boys. Bros before…everyone else. She sensed that and so had modified her own lunch routine to fit F.J.’s. Most days, he just wanted to chill with Ketak and Luke and not listen to the asinine banter of Nazlie’s clique, so he sat with his two besties. Nazlie merely settled in with them for part of lunch, then slipped back to her usual table of popular peeps if she felt like it.

She shook her head and looked sadly at Luke across the table. “That is so terrible. I hope your mom gets through it okay. Your dad’s a real jerk.”

Luke shrugged. “It is what it is. But thanks anyway.”

She nodded, snapping another small bite from a carrot stick, nibbling.

The four of them sat in silence, while the cafeteria chattered in liveliness around them. Ketak suddenly huffed and rolled his eyes. “Great.”

They all turned to see Demetrius and two of his henchman approach the table, stopping on F.J.’s side. “Nazlie, babe, what are you trying to prove by hanging out with this loser and his goons? Seriously, like, what?”

Nazlie released a disgusted sound. “For God’s sake, go away, Demetrius. What don’t you understand about ‘we’re not together anymore’? And we’re not getting back together.”

By now everyone around them had tuned in and was watching, listening.

F.J. just shook his head, giving Nazlie’s hand a squeeze. “Don’t mind him. He’s nothing.” His horned head turned so he could lock eyes with Demetrius, sharp blue eyes that narrowed in warning. “And he should probably just go away now.”

“Oh, so I’m supposed to be afraid of you, is that it?” Demetrius pressed, stepping closer.

“Man, look—I don’t care _how_ you choose to feel. All I know is you better get out of my face. _Now._ ”

Demetrius, caught in what decision to make next, glared down at F.J., lips mashed together in an angry line. “How about _you_ leave, fuck-face?”

At that, the football jock reached and tipped F.J.’s tray into his lap, spattering Salisbury steak gravy, mashed potatoes, and apple cobbler all over his pants and shirt, making the Qunari lurch.

“Demetrius!” yelled Nazlie.

Ketak and Luke went further on edge frowning at the bully, looking cautiously at their friend; they knew Finn Junior wasn’t one to mess with, and they wondered what he’d do.

Oohs and ahhs filtered through the room, laughter as well.

F.J. slowly stood up, eye to eye with his assaulter, noticeably thicker and more muscular than the other guy. He stared silently.

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: Finn alone in the once busy high school cafeteria. No chittering, chattering, hollering teenagers. Just him. Leaning casually to a table, arms crossed]

“You know, I consider myself a pretty good guy. I don’t bother people unnecessarily. I mind my own business…mostly, which is why I guess I could just leave this be…”

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

Demetrius, thinking he was hot shit with his boys there, got cockier. “What are you gonna do, huh?”

Regulating his breathing to maintain control, Finn clenched tight fists at his sides. He was quite ready to snap. Not only had he inherited his father’s rugged handsomeness, he also got his temper. His eye twitched but he made no move. Nazlie stood up and went to his side, watching raptly.

Demetrius let out a grating laugh. “That’s what I thought.” He turned and walked away with his boys, looking rather smug.

_No. Stop. Rewind._

The scene paused and smoothly rolled backward. All the sounds distorted and twisted, the movements throughout the whole room weird and impossible. A student pulled her fork from her mouth, upon which rested a fully constructed, unchewed bite of grilled chicken. One guy’s soda sucked back up into the bottle from whence it came, leaving the ice cubes in the cup dry and plain.

Once again Demetrius and his goons stood before Finn Junior.

\-----*-----

[Camera Sequence: F.J. still in the cafeteria, the camera zoomed in closer on his now tightly determined features]

“But where’s the fun in that?”

A smile caught the corner of the young man’s mouth, his lips and cheek turning up on that side.

[End Camera Sequence]

\-----*-----

Demetrius and F.J. watched one another closely, and the students in the cafeteria studied them, wondering what would go down next. Some of them had been there the day Demetrius pushed the Qunari in the hall by his locker, and for them, this was a much-anticipated continuation.

They were at a stand-off.

Demetrius finally smirked and laughed (again). “That’s what I th—”

Silenced. By a solid, precise Qunari fist that he barely saw coming. Stars and blackness encroached on his vision, and he felt the floor beneath his cheek.

The noise drained from the large room, everyone staring in mild shock at F.J., who stood over Demetrius, hands still clenched, breathing regulated but deep, eyes trained down at his enemy. Demetrius’s boys backed up. Neither wanted to face the Qunari’s wrath. Then, the murmurs and whispers started, followed by clapping and cheering. Ketak and Luke stood and hooted for their friend.

“Finn…” Nazlie called out softly, grabbing his arm.

This snapped him out of the contained rage he’d built up. He blinked, took a big breath, exhaled, and turned to her. His eyes flicked to the mess on his shirt and pants, and he chuffed.

Nazlie smiled a bit. “It’s okay. It’s just gravy. I’m glad you knocked him out, though. That was so hot.”

“Oh yeah?” F.J. grinned.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Hey! Finn Taurus, right! Hey, son! I’m talking to you!”

F.J. faced the teacher who’d been summoned. He sighed. “Yes. That’s me.”

“What happened here?” The teacher examined Demetrius, helping him up.

“He dumped food in my lap, so I…retaliated.”

The teacher eyed him, shaking his head. “Fighting is prohibited on-campus. Head to the office.”

“But he started it.”

“Now, Taurus!”

F.J. rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

Nazlie quickly pulled in and kissed him. “I’ll call you later, killer.”

“Okay.”

F.J. left the cafeteria with everyone staring quietly in his wake. His father had been called The Beast of the Battlefield once. It was highly likely he’d be given some equally intimidating nickname based on that day’s events. Champion of the Cafeteria maybe?

\-----*-----

F.J. sat beside Luke on the bus after school. Ketak sat across from them. All through the ride home, F.J. kept looking forward a few seats to where Mona sat alone, staring quietly out the window. She hadn’t been on the bus that morning, which meant one of her parents dropped her off. F.J. had glimpsed her one other time at school, in passing between classes. He was sure she saw him when she went by, yet she ignored him.

He sighed. He needed to talk to her and explain why he told Finn Senior about the drugs.

The bus reached the stop at the end of their block, coasting to a halt. Mona got off and immediately started up the street. Finn quickly moved down the aisle with Luke and Ketak behind him.

“I’ll hit you guys up later!” the Qunari called to them, then ran to catch up with Mona. “Hey, Mona…wait.”

The girl turned an irritated expression at him, peering through black-dyed bangs. “Seriously, F.J., just go away and leave me alone.”

“No.”

Mona threw her hands in the air and walked faster. “Go away!”

“Mona, please listen. I had to tell someone. You need help before you go too far down that path.”

She stopped and faced him, mouth parted in disbelief, shaking her head. “Un-fucking-believable. I didn’t ask you to go all savior on me, Finn. I _asked_ you not to blab. It’s just a little coke, nothing serious. And what do you do? You go to daddy. Well, thanks a lot. My folks have me going to a psychiatrist once a week now until further notice.”

“Mona…”

She snapped her hand up to silence him.  “I have nothing more to say to you.”

F.J. stood by while she continued for her house. He sighed and shuffled a slower pace towards the Taurus residence. The school had called his home and spoken to Ariel about the incident in the cafeteria, and now he’d have to face her too.

\-----*-----

The talk with his mother had gone as expected, with her lecturing him on how he had to take the higher road and not resort to fighting, and how he could really hurt someone if he wasn’t careful. Be the better person, blah, blah, blah. And he _tried_ to be. He really had. Something inside him just…snapped.

The teen stayed into his room until he heard the front door open and his father enter, doing his rounds, hugging up Kitt and Darr, kissing Ariel and Adaku (if she was around). F.J. laid on his back playing a game on his phone until his mother called him down.

He set the phone aside and went to sit at the kitchen table across from his father, who had showered, changed into a t-shirt and sweat pants, and settled in.

“How ya doin’, son?”

F.J. shrugged. “Fine, I guess.”

“Your mom told me what happened at school today. You know you shouldn’t be fighting.”

“Yeah, I know,” he answered softly. “The guy’s been giving me crap since Nazlie and I started hanging out. She used to be his girlfriend. When he dumped that tray of food in my lap, I saw red, dad. I’m sorry.”

“No need to be sorry, son. Just practice restraint. I know it’s hard to do that sometimes when you have to deal with jerks like him, but it’s necessary. You’re not so little anymore. I heard it didn’t go so well for the other guy.”

“His name’s Demetrius, and no, not so well. There were two hits: my fist to his face, his face to the floor.”

“Hm,” Finn mused, features on the grip of a pleased smile, one that Ariel saw clearly.

“It’s not funny, Finn,” she said to her husband, bouncing Darr on her lap. “He’s lucky all the principal did was give him a warning instead of expulsion.” She reached to grab F.J.’s right hand. “And did you see this? His knuckles are bruised. He could’ve broken his hand!”

At that both father and son barked out laughter.

“Mom, I assure you that I’m fine.”

“Yes, honey, the boy’s fine.”

Ariel huffed, eyes narrowed at them.

Finn Senior quickly jumped in. “But he’ll show more control from now on, right, son?”

“Yes. Totally. I promise.” F.J.’s eyes brightened, and he gave Ariel a boyish smile.

She shook her head, lightly amused at the pair of them, her husband and son.

Adaku walked up and placed a letter in front of Finn Senior, then crossed arms over her chest. She looked quite pleased about something. “Since mom neglected to tell you…”

They all waited while the man’s eye skimmed the paper, his smile deepening as he read. He turned to his daughter and gave her a tender nudge. “Great work, sweetie! I take it you want to do this?”

“Yep,” Ada nodded resolutely. “The sixth grade was easy and seventh is a breeze. Eighth would most likely not be much of a challenge. This is definitely the way to go.”

“Okay then,” Finn said. “It’s alright with me, if it’s alright with your mother.”

“She’s already filled out the papers. I’m taking them in tomorrow.”

F.J.’s eyes roamed between them while they spoke. “What’s going on?”

Adaku grinned broadly at him. “The school thinks I’m too advanced for the eighth grade, so I’m skipping it. After summer vacation, I’ll be starting ninth grade! We’re going to be at the same school again!”

F.J. grimaced. “What? Seriously!” He’d been hoping to get at least two good years in at Weisshaupt before his little sister showed up. “Well, shit…”

“Language!” both Ariel and Finn Senior bellowed.

Kitt ran circles around the table, giggling. Her family was so funny. She loved them.


End file.
